NorseWorld
by xNelder
Summary: Westworld-style HICCSTRID story. Dragged to a Viking-inspired experience by his deranged brother-in-law, the park will force Hiccup to discover who he truly is. A beautiful Chief's daughter will force him to question the very nature of his reality, to question everything he's ever known. He was born, she was built, but their fates are intertwined. Can a love, so forbidden, survive?
1. Part 1: The Dawn

**NorseWorld**

 **Part 1: The Dawn**

The longboat carrying the newest batch of the park's guests bobbed closer and closer towards Berk, and already the carnage they were seeking could be seen in its full force. Columns of fire rained down as the monsters of myth inflicted their vengeful desires, whilst the war cries of the unyielding inhabitants were as rough as the waves carrying the newcomers closer. Steadily, the boat creeped towards the pier, drawing out the suspense, and most of the breath in Hiccup's lungs in the process. All he could do was close his eyes and tell himself the simple truth, _none of this can hurt me, this isn't the real world._

When his fiancé, Heather, had suggested that he and his future brother-in-law needed some bonding time, Hiccup assumed going to see a football match or a movie would suffice, but alas he was wrong, as per usual. No, he had to fund the £30,000 a day bill that this ridiculous venture would cost, and all because she saw it as a drop in the ocean from the fortune he had received in his dad's will. Westworld apparently too tame, Shogunworld too exotic, so of course Dagur had brought him to NorseWorld. A world of bloodthirsty Vikings and even more bloodthirsty dragons. _What could possibly go wrong?_

Of course Hiccup and his friends had dreamed of going to one of these unprecedented attractions in school, but they couldn't even afford a day, never mind a week. But now he could pay for a year straight if he wanted, and although he still had a few reservations, that desire from childhood was still burning strong. A place where you can be whoever you want to be, where there are no consequences, no repercussions, it seemed far too good to be true.

He had to admit to himself that he needed this break, but bringing Heather's brother along was definitely not ideal. Nonetheless, he had vowed that he would make the best of the experience, but seeing the park in person was making that pledge very unlikely. He had wanted to delve past the cosmetics to find the heart of this place. To indulge in the minute intricacies stitched into the park. To uncover its secrets. For after university, he hoped he could work behind the scenes at a place like this.

Shivering on the deck as the Island's rocky shores came closer and closer, it was already becoming far too real. He looked nervously across at Dagur, but there were no doubts in the man's icy green stare. The metal breastplate and flashy horned helmet only proved that the flame-haired whack-job was perfectly in his element - a terrifying realisation. Hiccup, though, had never felt more out of his comfort zone.

His wild, auburn hair made any helmet he had tried on painfully uncomfortable, and his lanky frame didn't suit the standardised armour. Settling for a simple red tunic and leather scaled armour, he couldn't look more different than the other guests; he knew that wouldn't be the only thing separating them. He wouldn't be going in with a sword raised aiming to spill as much blood as possible; he promised himself, he would not lose himself in this world.

Hiccup could watch on, the dread hanging like a noose, as the park's largest island welcomed the newcomers with the loudest explosion of the night so far. His eyes followed the trail of sparks as the second wave of dragons pounced upon the village from all angles. Everywhere he looked was a battlefield, and he would just be another soldier. From rocky arches to sprawling forests, Berk seemed to have it all, it all seemed to be on fire.

"Wow," was all Hiccup could say.

Dagur turned to look at him and laughed, "What? Are you serious?" Dagur told him giddily. "This is only Berk. This is just a taster. There's much more out there."

"More?" Hiccup blurted out with wide eyes.

"More!" Dagur confirmed. "So much more. Just get me a boat and I'll be heading out as far out as possible. The further away from here you get, the more dangerous it becomes. I just hope I can reach the end this time."

"This time?" Hiccup repeated, unable to mask his confusion. "What do you mean, 'this time?'"

"I've been coming here for years," Dagur said unflinchingly, only to pause seeing Hiccup's reaction. "What? Sis not tell you that?" He added, and Hiccup shook his head adamantly. "Ah well, I'm sure we'll be getting up to some stuff here she doesn't need to know about, am I right?" Dagur grinned, slapping Hiccup playfully on the shoulder.

"Something like that," was the eventual mumbled response, as Hiccup watched in shock as a blast of purple flashed by overhead, before hitting a watchtower with pinpoint accuracy, lighting it up in flames.

"That's the spirit, Brother," Dagur beamed, swirling his sword in his hand impatiently. But when a second plasma blast set a catapult ablaze, he immediately rushed to the side of the ship and stared in awe at the shadow zipping through the midnight sky. "Night Fury," he murmured shakenly. "My baby's come home."

"Your what?" Hiccup asked sceptically, but Dagur's hands were both raised to the sky, as if worshipping the winged devil.

"My magnificent Night Fury," Dagur stated, almost with tears in his eyes. "I haven't seen him in five long painful years, but my baby's come home. He's come home to Daddy. And I'm gonna be the first to have his head mounted on my wall. This week just got a whole lot better," he said, wickedly rubbing his hands together.

"So, you're going to spend all week hunting it?" Hiccup asked him, with a disinterested shrug of the shoulders.

"WE are going to spend all week hunting it! Nothing better for brotherly bonding," Dagur cheered, before eyeing Hiccup's weaponry, or the severe lack of it.

"You sure you don't want anything other than that ornate shield and a flimsy little knife?" Dagur enquired. "It's the unholy offspring of lightning and death we're going after. I can get you a sword, or an axe, or a mace, or a ham-"

"-No, I'm fine," Hiccup shut him down, making Dagur pull a somewhat sulky expression before he set his face in stone. And as the ship had finally came to a halt, Hiccup had to repeat his answer again. He would be fine. Hopefully.

As the gangplank descended and slammed down, crazed thrill-seekers charged out and immediately headed straight for the battle. Hiccup, though, barely moved. He was now severely regretting that he'd been convinced to come to this ridiculous place, but he knew it was far too late to back out now. Even as his feet landed on the rickety pier, a part of him would have preferred it to break and for the ocean to swallow him whole.

Mangled demonic screeches and howls dominated the sky with enough force to make the ground shake, and with his knees knocking together, Hiccup slowly headed up towards the main plaza. He took one last look back, seeing the boat automatically began to retreat, leaving him stranded. Now he was in the game for good.

If seeing it at a distance was bad, seeing it up close was so much worse. Blood littered the floor in such quantities that the dirt had a permanent red coating, and there was barely a single hut left standing. Multiple times he had to duck under loose talons or dodge out of the way of jets of fire aimed in his direction, and all his fears were coming true. All the safety precautions, all the failsafes, but he couldn't see any of that now. Just the next thing he had to escape.

Even on the other side of the village square, Dagur's laughter could be heard. A high pitched, maniacal laugh of someone revelling in the mayhem. His razor-sharp pristine blade was nothing but a blur as it swung through the air. A light brown pudgy dragon was the first to meet its end at Dagur's hand, its white belly carved open in one slice before it collapsed into a pile on the ground. And yet, he still didn't look satisfied, a gronckle was easy work. So he raised his sword into the sky, challenging the dragons' very domain.

The challenge came soon enough, and he was on guard, craning his neck up to sniff the air. In a sharp burst, he span and rolled out of the way of the gas cloud about to engulf him, just in time before it ignited. Without fear, he leapt back to his feet and ripped two daggers from his belt as he sprinted straight towards the beast. This would be fun.

A twisted smile crossed his lips as he stared at the bright green two-headed dragon charging equally as fast towards him, before in one abrupt move it was all over. Dagur stood at the base of its neck, its two heads parted either side of him with a handle of a knife sticking out of each. He admired the kill for all of a second, before unceremoniously tearing his blades free. A zippleback was a decent trophy, but he was after bigger prey.

Hiccup could quite clearly see why men like Dagur would find themselves at home here. Every aggressive impulse, every violent tendency, that was the key to victory in this period of history, where size and skill with a sword would determine your position in the tribe. Kill, or be killed, that seemed the only rule here. And as Hiccup scuttled from behind a burning cart to find cover in the half-charred smithy, he could never have been more glad to be born in the twenty-first century. He just wanted a warm bath and a soft bed, but he had to survive another seven nights before he could get out of this hell.

And it was hell. Everywhere he tried to find shelter would be reduced to rubble no more than a minute at most later, as if the beasts were coaxing him into a fight. He didn't even get a chance to interact with any of the hosts, as every time he would get close to one of the Viking warriors, they would immediately suffer a gruesome, barbaric death. The chain of fatalities did achieve its purpose though, and Hiccup was thrust back into the action.

With his shield in his hand, he kept his head down and ran. He saw the steps, the great stone statues at their base, and the welcoming arms of the great hall itself at its peak. He focused on his path, trying best to ignore the heinous cacophony of sounds behind him, and he darted as fast as he could up towards the colossal wooden doors.

He could feel something tailing him, stalking him, and panic was setting in. The stairs seemed to go on forever, an endless escalator where the top was but a mirage. And when he succeeded in clambering over that last final hurdle, that dream of safety, of respite from the bloodshed, it never came true. The doors were bolted shut, locked from the inside and now he was a sitting duck.

He banged and he banged, but they wouldn't budge. So he banged and banged louder, each fist landing with more weight than the last. On the last strike, he was sure he heard a slight creak on the other end, but he had no time to make sure, for the noise behind him already had him spinning. The chirp sounded like an exotic bird from some nature documentary, but Hiccup knew he wouldn't be turning around to see something as harmless as a macaw. Not even close.

The dragon stood on two legs and was almost twice his height. Its exquisite blue and gold colouring would have made it almost resplendent in appearance, had it not been for the rows of serrated teeth and the barbed tail wagging viciously at him. Behind his shield, he coiled his fingers around the handle of his small blade, and he waited. But the creature didn't attack him, it simply swayed side to side, prowling him. It was as if the creature itself was waiting.

He heard the double doors creak again in the background, but all he could focus on was the vivid yellow flame growing inside the dragon's mouth a few metres away. The initial ball of fire ballooned in size, becoming a frothing cauldron that overflowed down the dragon's jaw. Its pupils narrowed to slits, its tail raised pointedly, and then it fired. A trio of foot-long spines imbedded into his circular shield, knocking him backwards, but he quickly regained his ground and began to head towards the beast. He had no choice. He would have to do this.

He switched his dagger to his dominant left hand and advanced down, his heart racing more and more as the distance between him and the beast shortened with every tentative step. As the dragon pinched its neck back, he dropped to his knees, bracing himself behind the shield as a torrent of fire burst from its snout. But there came no impact, and behind his cover all he could hear was the ringing thud of the double doors slamming open and an even more deafening sound of a feminine battle cry.

When he spared that one glance back, he saw the first thing in this egregious world that that made him want to keep his eyes open. One glimpse was all he needed to have her image engraved in his mind. Maybe it was because she truly was stunning, or maybe it was just because the sight of her was such a welcome change from everything else he had seen since docking in Berk. Either way, she was the first thing in this world that he found himself not wanting to escape from.

The glow of the fire provided the light to illuminate her golden braid that twizzled loosely down her back, and the simple parting of her fringe hung over one of her eyes. The tight red shirt hugged her lithe figure, and the brown, leather spiked skirt above the deep blue leggings fit snuggly around her waist. The thick fur boots, hood and vambraces completed her look, and she looked every bit the perfect Viking model.

He would have found her almost mesmerizing, had it not been for the complete lack of emotion on her face. Her eyes were cold, angry, without a shred of joy, and it immediately knocked him back to reality. That no matter how much they were made to look like one of us, they would never be… human. She should be afraid, she should be fearing for her life, and yet there wasn't even a hint of that. A weapon in hand and vengeance in her eyes. So one-dimensional, it just seemed a shame. Why had they gone to all the effort of making something so special, just to make it act like the rest?

The dragon's blast arrowed directly for her, but with a somersault dive, she evaded the stream of fire with ease. Without letting the dragon fire again, she sprinted across from where she was stood by the doors and took an almighty leap towards the beast, two hands clasping the axe above her head as she sailed through the air. Reacting just in time to avoid a killing blow, the dragon bounced back a step, but it still wasn't enough to be out of the weapon's range.

The tip of her blade carved its way down, splitting the scaly hide as it left a permanent gash a finger-width deep. The dragon let out a pained squeal, as the unblemished white colouring of its chin was tainted by the deep crimson seeping from of the wound. Hiccup slowly began to descend, watching on as dragon and Viking traded blow after blow, neither willing to back down. The fluidity of her movement was a sight to behold, her limbs like flowing liquid as she swayed, swirled and vaulted out of the way of the creature's strikes, before landing a few of her own on the scaly reptile.

Both parties fought well, a battle so clearly choreographed, but it did make an amazing spectacle. And when a viscous talon caught her neck, she didn't look like she felt it. Even with blood trickling down her chest, deepening the red of her vest, there was no trepidation, no fear. Even fighting a losing battle, she was yelling and cursing at the beast. Pressed with her back to the dirt, with only the handle of her axe between her and the dragon's chainsaw of a mouth, still she fought with a ferocity he had never seen before.

Chunks of wood began to get nibbled away as the onslaught of teeth never once slowed down. And then, with her weapon being gnawed down enough to look like an hourglass, for the first time Hiccup saw the flash of realisation spread across her face. She was out of her depth, and she knew it. Her time was running out. That slight flicker alone was all Hiccup needed. It showed him there were layers beneath that porcelain exterior, something deeper, something worth saving.

He kept his head down, he raised his shield, and with the last of the steps behind him, he charged. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" The girl growled, but he ignored her and slammed the face of his shield hard into the side of the dragon's skull, barging it off of her and almost knocking it from its feet. In a slight daze, its legs got crossed and it had to take to the sky to avoid toppling over completely, giving them a few seconds of calm. She instantly leapt back to her feet and glowered at him, before her sights returned back to the beast. This was her fight, and that dragon's head would be her trophy.

A volley of spines was sent in their direction moments later, and only Hiccup's shield prevented the pair from being impaled. The next thing he knew, the dragon was heading straight for them and its mouth was already a pit of bright yellow. He closed his eyes and raised his protection high again to block. Only this time, her blade, hurled with some force, ripped it from his hands.

"WHY THE HEL DID YOU DO THAT? I HAD IT COVERED!" She screamed, frantically watching on as the shield skidded across the floor a few feet away, her axe still imbedded in its back. Rushing forward, he grasped at the rim of his shield, but as she tugged at the axe handle, it wouldn't budge. The dragon converging on them, they were stuck in the open, cover nowhere to be found.

He looked down at her as she frantically tried to pull her weapon free, and the calmness she had earlier was cracking before his eyes. As if everything leading up to this had been ironed out, smoothed until not a single crease remained, and now her script had been shredded into pieces. She tugged with all her might, but it was imbedded deep. She was out of time.

The dagger left his palm, and before it had hit the ground, his hand wound its way around her waist. Without even thinking, he pressed her against him and span until he could see nothing but her face. There was confusion clouding the bright blue of her eyes and she continued to struggle, but he held her firm. He held her so tightly she couldn't break free, and he closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable.

It didn't take long for him to hear the flap of wings and then the explosive burst as the stream of fire struck him from his hip all the way up to his collarbone. His back was ablaze, but yet it didn't feel like burning. The sensation was like none he had every experienced, but it was enough to nearly drop him to his knees, with only her grip keeping him standing.

She warily raised her head, only to see his eyes wide open, staring flatly past her. She followed his gaze to see the dragon veer back for a return passing. Desperately, she pulled at her axe handle once more. This time, he didn't have the strength to counter it. Both axe and shield came as one, and she raised it like an unorthodox hammer to end this once and for all.

The dragon closed in on its target, but it came too close, and in one swing, the front of the shield was slammed against its carved horn, bringing it crashing down to the floor. The strength of the strike shattered the shield into splinters, leaving her own weapon free to inflict the final blow. A smile crossed her lips as she strode towards it, but she didn't get far before she was spinning on her heels.

Even over the explosions and screeching in the background, she heard the thud as his knees hit the ground. His face was crumpled out of shape, disfigured by the pain he could no longer hide. She had her family's honour to uphold, this was her duty, but now, ending its life had shifted down her list of priorities. He'd took the hit for her. He'd put his life on the line for her and she couldn't ignore that. She wouldn't ignore that.

Her axe re-strapped to her back, she was at his side before he even realised it. Kneeling down, she took his hand and looped it around her neck, before she hooked her own around his waist. Hauling him to his feet, she guided him out of danger as fast as she could manage, continuously with her head on the swivel, keeping watch of the dragon she had downed.

The beast, though, was doing nothing but rattling its head side to side, its spiked crown digging into the dirt as it tossed and turned. Seemingly fighting with itself, the dragon was shaking violently, before it suddenly calmed and looked up at her. She stared at its piercing yellow eyes, yet this time something felt different, wrong even. She didn't see any animosity or venom, only a strange curiosity, and she had no idea what to make of it.

She shook her head at the thought and focused on getting him to safety. These were devils. Monsters sent down by the Gods to test them. Thinking any other way was nothing short of treason, yet it didn't stop her looking once more over her shoulder. But where the dragon had been just a few moments earlier, now there was nothing. It, along with the rest, had taken to the sky, leaving the village in peace, for now at least. Hiccup took her relieved sigh as a cue, and looked up at her to breathe a simple thank you.

"BROTHER!" Came a loud call from across the plaza. Dagur was practically skipping across the warzone, seemingly unfazed by the corpses strewn across the floor. In his arms was the severed head of a bright red monstrous nightmare, its blood was dribbling down his knuckles. He raised an eyebrow at them, laughing heartily to himself, as he dumped it at Hiccup's feet. "Now that was fun," Dagur boasted.

Hiccup went to reply, but he was beaten to it by the blonde at his side. "FUN?" She snapped. "Half my village is dead. All our animals have been taken or killed. All our homes are destroyed. How is any of that fun?"

"Ooh, just as feisty as I reminder," Dagur chuckled, tapping her patronizingly on the nose. "I'm glad they never change you."

"Enough, Dagur," Hiccup warned sharply, to which Dagur simply threw his hands whimsically into the sky.

"Oh, I see, our little Hiccup has the hots for dear old Astrid," Dagur smirked.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, before giving his response as impassively as possible, "very funny."

"I don't blame you if you did," Dagur told him straight. "The first time I came here, this bewitching seductress got me wrapped around her finger as well."

"Lies!" Astrid spat at him.

"That's not a nice way to speak to an old friend, is it? Come on, babe, I'm looking forward to get to know you again," Dagur said with a sly smile.

Astrid's expression became flat, as if she was staring right through him. "I don't know you. I've never known you. And the next time you call me babe, you'll lose your tongue."

"Enough, Dagur," Hiccup told him again, this time with a darker edge to his voice. "Just leave her alone."

"Fine!" Dagur huffed. "If you want the bitch so bad, I'll let you have her. But just a word of advice, in this world, she's like a six out of ten."

"I'll take that on board," Hiccup deadpanned, before he felt Astrid shift next to him. He could see her staring almost longingly at a man trundling his way across towards them, and she turned to face Hiccup with imploring eyes.

"Can you stand?" She whispered, and although he wasn't completely sure, he nodded, allowing her to slide out from under him and run across to meet the rounded figure.

The man's deficiency in limbs drew Hiccup's attention instantly. A hammer replaced one of his arms below the elbow, and a peg-leg accounted for the limp, as he made his way towards her. A long blonde braided moustache hung down to his waist, and a bushy monobrow besieged his brow. With a tattered tunic made of fur and a helmet of twisted yak horns, he looked pretty worse for wear, but the relief on his face was clear to see as Astrid bounded straight into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers, before he looked past her to see Hiccup and Dagur. Each got a firm nod from the Viking, before he pulled back and cupped her cheeks. "Why are you out here? It's not safe for you during a raid. You're my heir, you can't risk yourself like that."

"I'm a warrior, I need to help the tribe," she protested.

"You're my daughter, and I-" he began, only to be cut off by Dagur bursting out in an overexaggerated fit of laughter.

"Wait. Wait. Wait," he kept repeating, unable to speak two words without giggling. "You… You've got to be kidding me. You're in charge here?"

"Chief Gobber Hofferson of the Hairy Hooligan tribe of Berk?" The man proclaimed cheerfully.

"I mean, come on," Dagur groaned. "At least the host they had to play the role of Chief last time I came looked like one. I'm sure you were the blacksmith a year ago. This is just absurd."

"I've been chief here for twenty-two years, so mind your place, boy," Gobber stated firmly, releasing Astrid and heading over towards Dagur. "Now, I want to thank you both for protecting my only child, but I will not allow you to insult me or my village. For your accomplishments during the battle, I grant you one request. State anything within reason and it is yours."

"Hmmm," Dagur considered. "Well, there is only one thing I want."

"And that is?" the Chief asked him invitingly.

"Your Island!" Dagur answered, as he drew his sword. The Viking had no time to react, and before he could even take a step back, Dagur's blade pierced through the Chief's centre, impaling the man's heart in one thrust. A loud, synchronous gasp came from everyone watching, with Astrid's deafening shriek ringing through the air. Gobber teetered on his one foot, before he collapsed to his knees, his hand painted red from where he was clutching his own chest.

"Why?" He croaked out, before he fell flat, his head slamming against the ground as his body went limp.

"BECAUSE I CAN!" Dagur roared, bringing the tip of his blood-soaked sword up to his mouth before kissing the blade. He stood tall, addressing all the remaining villagers. "YOUR CHIEF IS DEAD, BECAUSE YOUR CHIEF WAS WEAK! WITH ME IN CHARGE, I CAN END THE TYRANNY OF DRAGONS. EITHER YOU JOIN ME, OR YOU MEET THE SAME FATE AS HIM!" Dagur proclaimed, as he kicked Gobber's lifeless body for good measure, and then rose his weapon as a challenge.

The first man to contest him got a dagger through the eye. The next was gutted wide open, making him slump into a pile of his own entrails. And as the madman cut down man after man, his maniacal laughter only boomed louder into the night. With a pile of bodies at his feet, he wiped his sword clean by rubbing it against the back of a fallen warrior and then he raised it into the sky once more. "ANYONE ELSE?" He asked with a grin, and this time no-one stepped forward. "THAT'S BETTER. I AM YOUR CHIEF NOW! LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINE-"

"AAAAAHHH!" Astrid screamed, rising from where she was hugging her father's body to charge at him. Dagur, though, didn't even flinch. He did the exact opposite. As she came barrelling in, he lowered his weapon to his waist and then dropped it to the ground completely. As she came at him, axe raised and eyes full of fury, he smiled at her and then tilted his head up to give her a better shot at his neck.

"Come on, kill me. Do it for your father." Dagur mocked her, as he dropped to his knees. She raised her weapon and brought it down, only to find herself incapable of landing the strike. The weight of gravity should have led the axe to pick up speed as it descended towards the bare flesh, but the closer to his neck it came, the slower and slower the speed. When metal met skin, it wasn't even enough to scratch the skin.

She stared down at her own shaking hands, as her precious axe, the axe that her mother had given her as a child, dropped to the floor and landed in the dirt. She looked around pleadingly, praying someone would help, but no-one moved. Hiccup found himself frozen, paralyzed in shock.

In the blink of an eye, Dagur's hand clasped around her neck, choking her as he lifted her from the ground and left her there to dangle. He seemed to enjoy watching her struggle, seeing her gasp for air as her feet swung wildly. Her fists struck out at him, hoping one would land strongly enough to make him let go, but she was at his mercy.

Before it could get any worse, a fist cracked against Dagur's jaw, knocking him back. The power of the blow forced him to release her, and before Dagur could recover, Hiccup planted himself between them. He kept his fist coiled, but Dagur gave him nothing but a single nod, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist.

"See. Now you get it," Dagur said calmly, chuckling to himself, as he waved his arms about. "None of this matters. You can do what you want, be who you want. Everything here is built for our enjoyment, our pleasure. And this is just the start. You like games, don't you, Brother? How about we play a little game? I'll give you an hour headstart, and then you and that whore will be added to the list of things I'm going to hunt. You, her and the Night Fury will be my prizes, and I will get you all before this week is over. I promise you that."

"You're sick!" Hiccup scowled.

"Tick tock. Tick tock. Fifty-nine minutes left on the clock," Dagur sung in a high-pitched jingle. "So run, Hiccup. Run."

Quickly, Hiccup stashed her axe on his back, as he knelt down and scooped Astrid up into his arms. Dagur was still grinning with that same twisted smile, and Hiccup gave him one final glower before rushing away as fast as he could. Her breaths were weak, but they were still there, and he would need all the headstart he could get if she was going to survive the night.

The forest seemed the best option, and he found himself sprinting through the trees without daring to look back. He had to find somewhere where she would be out of Dagur's reach. For what seemed like hours, he bounded through the woods, looking for a cave, a tunnel, or even a bridge to hide under. Anything would do, but with only the stars to guide his way, he had no idea what was around him. The pain in his back had all but vanished, but he had to muster every ounce of strength to keep his legs going.

Every few steps, he would glance down at her, and the feelings of guilt only grew stronger. If he hadn't paid to come to this world, Dagur wouldn't have been here with him, and she wouldn't be in this pain. With his knees almost on the verge of buckling, he regrettably needed to stop. He knew it wouldn't be enough, that Dagur would never stop, but he was already so far past his limits. The hand on her back slowly moved to cushion her, and he laid her head to rest on the trunk of a toppled tree.

The gash where the dragon's claw had snagged her looked worse now than ever, and Dagur's fingers had left red blotches all the way across her neck. Tearing the sleeve of his tunic, he ripped off a small square patch and dampened it with water from his canteen. Taking extra care to wipe away as much of the blood as he could, he attempted to clean the wounds, but there was little he could do. So with a heavy sigh, he finished up and discarded the fabric. All he could do now was hope.

As he tried to bunker down opposite her, the ground was too firm to be comfortable, but he tried his best to get some sleep nonetheless. A clump of leaves was his makeshift mattress, but even that wasn't enough to make his aching body any more relaxed. Even after a few tedious hours later, he still hadn't caught a wink, not even close. His mind was too overwhelmed, exploding with thoughts, feelings, decisions. They were all jumbling around, a muddle not making any sense, but there was only one thing that was constant…

No matter how hard Hiccup tried, he couldn't pry his eyes away from the sleeping Valkyrie. In her slumber, she looked so innocent, so at peace, and it was tying his stomach up in knots. She was a work of art, a masterpiece, and yet she had been made only to suffer. They had made her so strong, so brave, so fearless, knowing that those qualities would only be the catalyst to intensify her pain. Born to be a warrior, but destined to be the victim. Her very identity was a fraud, double edged like her axe, and she didn't even know it.

With every little twitch, every small, almost unnoticeable movement, she could not have looked more real. These motions that he thought to be so intrinsically human, and yet here she was right before his eyes. From the way she hugged her weapon close to her chest, to the furrow of her brow as she tossed and turned, there was no denying it. She was as real as he is.

He threaded his fingers through his hair and sighed, before he held his head in his hands. He shouldn't care. She's just a robot with a head full of code. She means nothing. And yet, the more he told himself that, the less he believed it. He wanted to study every inch of her, to discover all the ins and outs and how it was possible she ever came to be. The degree in engineering he was working through was supposed to answer all his questions about the world, but this place had blown his mind far more than he could ever have expected.

Where people like Dagur saw nothing but the violence and chaos, Hiccup could see the brief glimpses of beauty in this world. And a prime example of that was mumbling softly in her sleep only a few feet away. His head was swimming with questions, but as soon as one rose to the surface, a dozen more drowned it out. How long has she been here? How many different lives has she lived? How many times has she had to watch her father die? How many times has she, herself, been at the wrong end of the blade? What else has she had to suffer?

Locked behind the wall of sleep, her gentle stirring caused a single rogue strand of golden hair to stray free from the rest. The loose thread wound its way down her cheek, and her face scrunched up subconsciously in an effort to dislodge it. Her eyelash flickered a few times, batting it away, but it persistently vowed to remain just in the wrong place, threatening to drag her back to her reality.

Hiccup watched for a moment or two, before in a few short strides he was kneeling at her side, so close that he could hear her soft breaths before they blew away with the wind. He could feel the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat, in time with the shallow rise and fall of her chest, and he reached his hand up to make sure she would remain in that tranquil realm for a few more hours at least.

His fingertips grazed across her forehead, propelling the guilty curl of blonde on its journey back to join the flock. Her skin was warm, her hair soft as a feather, as he brushed her bangs fully to one side. She let out a soft purr, and with her face completely unobstructed, he could fully take the time to marvel at her up close. The contours of her rose-tinted cheeks. The shape of her adorable button nose. The small gradual curve of her lips as she smiled for the first time.

That one moment, of nothing more than a small gesture showing nothing but serenity, was enough to melt his heart. He knew it, and he knew he must pull away. He couldn't care for this… thing. It would become a one-way trip. 'Caring is weakness', Stoick would tell him, and Hiccup always knew it was true. He didn't have the ruthless instinct needed to become a stock broker like his father. This just proved it.

For as much as he wanted to force himself away, he couldn't do it. There was no way he would just leave her to suffer at Dagur's hands. Never. For as long as he stayed here, she would be his responsibility. He would not let her get hurt. Not this time. He would keep her safe, and maybe, just for once, he could bring a little happiness to her miserable existence.


	2. Part 2: The Truth

**Norseworld**

 **Part 2: The Truth**

At some point in the night, Hiccup managed to fall asleep, but when dawn broke, he awoke to the cold bite of a blade against his throat. He tried to scuttle back, his vision still hazy, but with his back pressed against a trunk, he had nowhere to go. The slight twist of her axe nipped his skin, hastening his rousing, and bit by bit, she came fully into focus. Stood over him, her posture completely rigid, he could see her in full clarity. Her stance was one of dominance, but her certainty didn't extend above her shoulders. Her eyes were large and clouded by doubt, and there was a slight quivering of her lip she was trying her hardest to eliminate.

"Where are we? Where have you taken me?" She asked firmly, digging deeper into his skin.

"Hey. Hey. I'm on your side here," Hiccup replied quickly, raising his hands in surrender.

"My side?" She spat back angrily, leaning over him. "You come to my Island, kill my father, and then kidnap me. How are you on my side?"

"I saved your life," Hiccup protested. "I'm the only reason you're not dead right now."

"Like I'd believe that," she growled at him. "I know what people like you are like."

"People like me?"

She stared down at him and shook her head. "Newcomers. Brutes from foreign lands coming to destroy everything we hold dear. Father warned me of people like you and your brother."

"My brother? What? Dagur? He is NOT my brother," Hiccup told her, before he slowly began to lever himself up. Her weapon still tight to his neck, he rose to his feet and looked down at her with eyes of nothing but sincerity. "You have to believe me, I'm nothing like him. I never wanted any of this."

"Then what did you want?" She grilled him.

He closed his eyes, as his shoulders slumped. "An escape from the real world."

" _Real_ world?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? "

 _I thought they weren't supposed to pick up on things like that_ , Hiccup thought, but the words that came out of his mouth were far more sensitive. "The world out there beyond the waves, where violence no longer rules."

"It sounds like a dream," she said longingly, momentarily breaking from her inflexibility. "But if somewhere like that really existed, why would you come here? Why come to a place where there is only death?"

"Dagur brought me here," Hiccup said, before sighing heavily. "But… but that isn't the full story. Truth is, I needed a getaway. Your world was supposed to be that."

"My world is a prison, not an escape," she declared. "What could possibly be bad enough to make you come here?"

Sparing a few moments before he answered, he raised his head to look at her. "My dad died a few weeks ago," he told her, his words thick and uneven. "A heart attack apparently. No-one saw it coming," he admitted weakly, and he could feel the pressure of her axe loosen slightly. "He was all I had left, and… then he was gone."

"I'm sorry," Astrid said softly. "You have no-one else?" She gingerly followed up, the last of the hostility fading away. He shook his head, staring down at the ground, even when she had fully withdrew her weapon away.

"My mum died when I was little and all my childhood friends moved away," he said sorrowfully. "I do have a woman back home, but... but…"

"But what?" She asked, when he couldn't complete his sentence.

"It's not real," he sighed. "Whatever there is between me and her, it's not real. It's a scam, a fraud, a lie I tell myself to keep going. And when I marry her, that lie will be all that there is. I could grow to love her, I could try and make it work. I could… Oh God, why I am even telling you this, it's not like you'll even understand," he finished while shaking his head.

"I understand more than you think," she told him firmly. "You'd choose to live like that? You'd choose to trap yourself in a situation like that?"

"At least I won't be alone," he conceded with a sigh. "My future is set. There's no use trying to change it."

"The ability to change my fate is all I've ever wanted. But I don't get a choice," she grumbled, walking over and sitting on the floor a few feet away. "Every decision in my life is completely out of my hands."

"What do you mean by that?" Hiccup asked, taken back just the slightest.

"Daughter of the chief," she said bitterly. "As soon as I was born, father was trying to sell me off to form alliances. But I know who I am. I won't be some obedient, doting wife. That won't be my destiny."

"No it won't," Hiccup scoffed, as he headed over towards her. "Your destiny is to lose to men like Dagur over and over again."

"You don't know that!" She replied viciously, stabbing the base of her axe handle into the ground.

"But I do know that," he said sadly, staring straight at her the whole time as he sat down at her side. "The 'newcomers', as you call them, they always win. It's why you couldn't kill Dagur. It's why I could take that dragon's blast without being reduced to a pile of ash. It's why none of the choices you make matter. To think they do is a mistake."

"The freedom to make my own mistakes is all I ever wanted," she said mournfully, laying her axe down to rest on the ground infront of her. "Just for once I'd like to forge my own path, do what I want to do."

"And what is that? What do you want to do?" He enquired, staring curiously at her.

"All I ever wanted was to be seen as something more than a prize or a bargaining chip. I wanted to be known for my combat in battle instead of my name. I wanted… I wanted to be anyone other than the heir, and now I'm not even that," she snivelled, not meeting his eyes. "I should have saved him. It's my fault my dad's dead."

"No, no, don't say that," he reassured, crouching beside her and laying a reassuring hand on her knee. "I'm sure your father wouldn't want you blaming yourself. You did all you could."

"And yet it wasn't enough!" she snapped at him, shoving his hand off of her. "All the years of training and practice and I could do nothing but stand there and watch him die. I should have just listened. I should have stayed inside. If I had, he may still be alive."

"You don't know that," Hiccup reasoned.

"I couldn't even avenge him," she sobbed, "he'd be so ashamed of me." She slouched, utterly defeated and broken, with nothing left of her home but the axe at her feet. One pitiful reminder of everything she had lost. He tried to get her to look at him, but she turned away. Dabbing her eyes with her vambrace, she wanted nothing more than to hide from the world. Crying is weakness. Vikings don't cry. And yet she had no strength left in her stop herself. No family, no home, no future. _What is there left to fight for?_

"You are a great warrior, and your father would be so proud of you," Hiccup told her strongly, holding her shoulders to stop her curling in on herself. "But you mustn't give up. You must go on, carry his legacy. Make that new path for yourself."

"And how do I do that?" Astrid asked weakly, looking up at him with watery eyes.

"You have to take every opportunity. You-" He started, only for the sharp noise in the distance to cut him short.

It began as the faintest of sounds, but over time it became unmistakable. Distant voices closing in. Every muffled word that trickled its way towards them only grew louder, and through the thick brush they could just make out a dozen or so Vikings converging on their position. Weapons high and faces blank, the hunters were almost upon their prey. The sight of Dagur leading the scouting party instantly made Astrid leap to her feet, and Hiccup reacted just in time to wrangle the suicidal blonde back.

"No, no, no," he whispered as forcefully as he could, grabbing her wrist to stop her running headfirst straight into danger. "You can't hurt him. You know that. This isn't a mistake you want to make. Please don't do this," he urged her, fighting her every movement in hopes of pulling her away.

"You said take every opportunity," she said venomously. "I'm taking this one!"

"Astrid, wait," he pleaded, tightening his hold.

"He killed my dad and took my Island. I'll kill him or die trying," she growled under her breath, violently shaking her arm to pry herself free. "At least I will die a heroic death. Then I can see my father again in Valhalla."

"I can't let you."

"You can't stop me!"

"I will if I have to," he stated coldly, holding her tight enough to leave a bruise.

"Why?" She snapped, spinning around to look at him. "Why does it matter? Why do you even care?" She was almost pleading for a reason to go on, a tear trickling down her cheek as she struggled.

"Because I didn't save you just to watch you die!" He replied immediately, and far too loudly to be discreet. "You're the only thing I've seen since coming to this island that has even slightly made me want to stay. Please, I'm begging you, come with me. I can keep you safe. Trust me, Astrid. Trust me," he begged, as he finally released her. "It's your choice: come with me and live, or go out there and die."

Astrid halted in her tracks, stunned he had gave her the ultimate verdict. Pinned between two options that both seemed the right choice, for once she could be in charge of her destiny. She looked over at Dagur, at the crossbow bouncing in his hands with every step and the short future a chance at vengeance would bring her. Stay and fight – she'd been taught that since she could walk. Engrained that deep, it should be the obvious choice, but her feet remained planted in the dirt.

Fighting is who she is, who she was born to be, but something about this fight seemed almost pointless. Death is so final, so conclusive, and she had hardly lived at all. Stuck on this wet heap of rock for two decades, she wanted more. She wanted to see more, maybe even reach this world beyond the waves. Her eyes flicked back to the young man that would be her best hope of getting to this promised land. Could it be possible?

His eyes were trained on her, but there was an odd softness shining back at her. And he was looking only at her. Not at a chief's daughter, but at Astrid herself. She was no fragile flower that needed to be safeguarded, and he was the first that seemed to understand that. He'd suffered for her, protected her, cared enough to bring her to safety. All he was asking for in return was for her to come with him. His outstretched hand was beckoning her to follow him, luring her in with a promise of hope, and she knew she had made her choice. The heroic death part could wait.

She avoided taking his hand, grabbing him by the arm instead. This is her island, she would be in charge. A bystander to tragedy all her life, now no-one would control her fate. No-one but her. He watched her fly towards him, and he was barely able to release the deep breath he had been holding in, before he was hauled after her. He couldn't even see the ground under foot, nor the path up ahead, but he had faith in her to lead him. The flashes of blonde as she zipped between the trees was his only indicator, a golden flare guiding the way, and he matched her step for step.

Their escape though, it hadn't been unnoticed. Heavy footsteps and screams behind them told them as much. Hiccup gave one anxious look back, but Astrid never faltered. She had made her choice and now she would go through it. Pursued like animals, they headed deeper and deeper, venturing further from the main village than Astrid had ever been in her life. Uphill, downhill, left, right, whatever they attempted to lose their trackers had no effect. But as time wore on, her mastery of the terrain proved the thing keeping them alive.

She navigated through the forest with such intense speed that the gap between them and Dagur's posse grew with every stride. They pushed on with their advantage, strengthening their lead to give them time to find a way out. They couldn't go on forever and Hiccup knew he didn't have much left in him at the rate they were travelling. He pushed on regardless, unwilling to let her down, but the first chance he could find to stop, he had to take it. And when, through a divide in the trees, he spotted a crevice in the rockface up ahead; it seemed the perfect opportunity.

Getting Astrid's attention first, he diverted their path up to the ridge and the two of them darted for the opening. Thick white rock guarded the entrance, but sideways on they managed to squeeze through the passage to discover the secrets on the other end. What they did find was more breath-taking than Hiccup could possibly describe. The small cove was a secluded paradise, a hidden treasure. A pool of water extended outwards from the centre, with only a few feet of grass separating it from the ring of stone enclosing the little utopia. A waterfall poured down from the hill, perfectly clear water crashing down onto the rocks below, and even Astrid was momentarily frozen in the splendour of it all.

The few moments of calm were short-lived however, as Dagur's booming voice echoing behind them brought them back down to earth. Quickly, Hiccup clambered down the steep rocks to the base of the cove, before he turned and offered his hand once more to Astrid. She paused for a moment, as if to consider it, but she didn't need the help. Climbing down was an easy task and she could do it far faster on her own. As her feet hit the ground, she pressed her back against the rock, putting her hand across his chest to hold him flat on the wall next to her. And as the voices closed in, now all they could do was wait…

Eventually the sound of Dagur's chanting withered into nothingness, but even when all had been silent for an hour, Hiccup still didn't even dare to breathe. The danger had passed, for now, but he knew it wasn't over. To say he was truly rattled would be a massive understatement, and his legs felt like they were about to give way. He was about to step forward and give himself some space to sit down, when an almighty screech had both him and Astrid staring open-mouthed into the sky.

It started as a black dot, plummeting like a stone, and as it dropped through the sky, it was heading straight towards them. Like a whirlwind, it was spinning wildly, cries echoing in all directions. Barely above the height of the cove, it was able to extend its wings to slow its descent, but it was too little, too late. The uplift provided a temporary parachute, but it wasn't enough to slow it down, and with a hefty thud it crashed hard into the water.

Far deeper than expected, the dragon sunk beneath the surface, before it frantically clawed up for air. In a frenzy of splashing, with all its remaining strength, it fought its way to land. Digging into the bank, it pulled itself out, and after a few staggering steps, it collapsed into a pile on the mud. Hiccup stared in awe; he had never seen anything like it. A blend of bat and black panther, it was like one of his childhood stories had come to life; he couldn't take his eyes off of it. Astrid couldn't either, but for almost the exact opposite reason.

As quietly as she could, she freed her axe off her back and without hesitation, she began to creep towards the dragon. Her eyebrows narrowed and her entire face was tense, locked in a fierce grimace. Hiccup caught her advancing out of the corner of his eye, and slowly he began to trail at her side. He wanted to admire it, but he still drew his own knife, just in case. But as he approached, the need for the weapon seemed almost non-existent.

The heavy fall into the water wasn't enough to wash all the blood from the dragon's skin, and the cause of its injuries was clear to see. Two crossbow bolts were still firmly lodged in one of its wings, and another was rooted deep in one of its hind legs. _Another victim of Dagur,_ Hiccup thought angrily, and he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the creature.

"What are you doing?" Astrid called out sharply, as he passed her and advanced towards the dragon unarmed. He ignored her repeated calls and continued to accelerate, hoping to get a closer look. With delicate steps, he edged his way forward. There was little to say the dragon was still alive, and the acute silence in that direction wasn't a good sign. Its limbs splayed out in all directions and its chin sunk into the dirt, even its tail was motionless.

As he approached, he thought it was on its last legs, but as he reached a gingerly hand out to touch its snout, one acid green eye flashed open. He instantly withdrew his hand away, but before he had the chance to retreat, the dragon scrambled to its feet and towered over him. Immediately perching on its hind legs, it stretched out its wings to full span and let out an eternal roar. The force of it almost knocked Hiccup over, the burst of energy from the sound blowing him backwards.

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed, running forward at full speed with her axe raised to protect him, but she knew she wouldn't get there in time if it struck. His only defence was to reach to his waist, and for that little knife he had stowed there, but even that wouldn't be quick enough. But as the dragon continued its thunderous rumble, he noticed something in an instant. Something that - with everything he had learned since coming here - didn't make sense in the slightest. With every screech, the beast was moving back, not forward. It was as if it was trying to escape.

There was a slight purple glow in its throat, and yet Hiccup didn't feel to be in any apparent danger. The dragon's eyes darted between Hiccup and Astrid feverishly, and as more pressure was put on its back legs, the more pained its roars became. Like an abused animal, it was almost cowering as it continued to try to warn them off. Its attempts to intimidate them becoming increasingly pitiful, as its initial deep roar had diminished to a weak whimper.

As Astrid caught up to him, Hiccup held his arm out, blocking her path for the moment. There was more going on here and he knew it. Tentatively he began to advance, and as he did so, the dragon scuttled back faster. Its movements were jagged, its body shaking from the exhaustion and the deep damage it had suffered. In its eyes, Hiccup could see the truth. It was scared. Scared of him. Scared to die.

Not wanting to spook the dragon further, he slowed his approach, but being backed into a corner was the last place the dragon wanted to be. It let out one last fierce growl, before it labouredly flapped its wings and attempted to glide over their heads to freedom. That was the idea at least, as after a few seconds of flight, its injured wing buckled and once more the night fury came hurtling down to the ground. This time it didn't have the luxury of landing in the water, and it hit the floor with a deafening crunch.

Astrid once more took this as an opportunity to exploit its vulnerability and rid her island of one less pest, but Hiccup had seen enough to know this was the perfect chance. This dragon could be the key to unlocking this world, if only he could somehow tame it. Maybe he could, for the first time, unite the dragons and the Vikings, or one dragon and one Viking specifically. A promising idea in his mind, but the look in Astrid's eyes showed a different story. Between training the dragon and getting her to help him do it, she would definitely be the hardest part.

He knew she wouldn't listen at first. Knew she'd argue and fight it with everything she had. But he had to at least try. If she could change, if he could change her, maybe then he wouldn't feel so wrong about the way he felt about her. Strong, smart, brave, beautiful, determined, deadly. She was everything he could have imagined, but there was that last little hurdle was stopping him. He just needed that last piece to complete the puzzle. The final bridge that had to be crossed. He needed her to be… alive.

"Let me," Hiccup told her firmly, ripping his knife from the scabbard and heading directly for the dragon. Astrid, taken back by the sudden change in his demeanour, stopped dead, giving him the time needed to make his move. The dragon was laying on its side, its neck stretching up to the sky and its wounded wing tucked tight to its body. Hiccup held the weapon firmly, even more so as the dragon stared at him the entire way. Even as he got within striking distance, it didn't move, as if it was accepting its fate. Letting out a sad croon, the dragon closed its eyes and rest its head on the ground once more. Its fight was over.

But as it expected the killing blow, Hiccup's knife hit the floor. The first thing it saw when it re-opened its eyes was the dagger laying in the dirt, and then the hand came into focus. From a couple of feet to a mere few inches, the fingers kept closing in, but then they stopped. Hiccup, knelt down in front of the rare dragon, held still. This was no pet; it was as wild as can be, and now he needed to know what choice it would make. As much as he wanted to touch it, to feel the texture of its skin, he needed to wait. Wait and see what it what do.

Scaly yet smooth, the warmth fused into his palm, as the dragon pressed its snout against him. Never had he felt anything like it. Running his fingers over the odd surface, it was as if he had formed a special link with the creature. Its slitted eyes now were wide and open, trusting even. It was incredible. How he wanted to savour the moment, but there was no time to linger on the current achievement. He hadn't killed it, but he was far from saving it. If Dagur was the one that had shot it down, he wouldn't be far behind. Hiccup knew he didn't have long.

Astrid's mouth was so wide open she could have swallowed a dozen flies. Even if she did, she was so transfixed on the insanity before her eyes she wouldn't have even noticed. He didn't kill it. He didn't even try to kill it. Instead, he was… petting the dragon. Petting. Like a dog. She was furious, so completely charged in anger, all because she couldn't make sense of it all. _Dragons were… are the enemies_ , she corrected herself. They killed her Uncle, Fearless Finn Hofferson, when she was five. They killed half of her village. They… They are evil. _They have to be._

Hiccup slowly moved around the dragon, resting his hand gently on its wing. Its head tracked him, following him as his hand headed towards the first of the two bolts. As Hiccup coiled his fingers around the wood, he looked over to see the dragon was already watching him. Before he could even ask, a few bobs of its head up and down answered his question. _Incredible,_ he thought to himself. _Everyone has missed the entire point of this place. These are unbelievable, intelligent creatures, and all everyone wants to do is kill them. This world is so much more than I could have ever expected._

In three quick, sharp pulls, Hiccup removed all of the bolts, and each distressed yowl made him feel even worse. With the job done, he made his way back to the front of the dragon, who thanked him for his help by giving him a sloppy lick the length of his face. In disgust Hiccup ripped off the gooey liquid that clung to his skin, but as he washed his face in the fresh water of the cove, there was no hiding the smile on his face. Turning back, he found the dragon on its feet, licking the stretches of its wing it could reach, but as Hiccup came closer, it immediately snapped around to face him.

Once more, Hiccup reached his hand out, and without hesitation, the dragon pressed its snout into his palm. He had managed to gain the trust of this magnificent creature and the idea of that alone was something totally unbelievable. His grin as wide as ever, he had found his place in this world. And as to prove that, the dragon mirrored him, its features contorting into a gummy smile, solidifying their bond. A big overgrown puppy, it was almost bouncing, its tongue lolling wildly in its open mouth. So giddy, so unthreatening, it didn't even have rows of teeth to at least make it look dangerous.

"Toothless," Hiccup murmured.

"Hiccup, what is this? What are you doing?" Astrid asked fiercely, despite the nagging doubts choking her words as she spoke. Behind Hiccup, the dragon had retreated back to the feral creature she had always known. Its mouth filled with glistening white fangs, snarling at her. Its back hunched, ready to attack. Its tailed curled protectively around Hiccup's feet. She held her axe firmly, unwilling to move first in this stalemate, because she was so completely lost by all she had seen.

"Astrid, please. I know you, I know what you've been through. All I ask is that you give this a chance. Let me show you," he said softly. With an almost stern look, he turned to face the dragon. The lines of teeth were a surprise, but the name had stuck instantly and the dragon would have to deal with it. "Toothless, Astrid. Astrid, Toothless," he introduced, probably the weirdest thing he'd ever done in his life.

With short steps, Astrid tentatively began to approach. The dragon always in her eyes, she kept herself on her toes, even with the reassurance of Hiccup nodding warmly to her. She could never trust a beast like this, but _him_ , she trusted him.

"Lower your axe, and then place it slowly on the floor," he instructed her calmly. "Show him you mean no harm."

Her immediate response was to huff at the request, but in his eyes there was something she couldn't escape. Whatever it was, it was true. Unbridled and unclouded, as if he needed her as much as she needed him. He needed her to do this, and she was lowering her axe before he mind even recognised she was doing so. Her mind was telling her that the moment she dropped the weapon, the beast would strike, but her mind had been in charge for twenty years. Almost instinctual, almost irrepressible, she had let her heart take over for the first time, and she didn't even want to fight it.

She could see the change, the immediate shift in behaviour as she placed the axe on the floor. Where before stood a devil over Hiccup's shoulder, now sat a dutiful protector, almost docile. The years of suffering pulled her feet back as she closed in, but she kept going as if she had no memories before this day, no memories before she had met this impossible, world-shattering stranger. The second she had met him, everything had changed. Everything she had ever known had changed. This was her life now. _He_ was her life now.

It didn't stop the fear though, and the closer she came, the flashes of her past came hurtling back. But she could do it. She is Fearless Astrid Hofferson, she could do it. But as she took the last few steps, the dragon's ears twitched upwards and down snapped its teeth. Astrid shook in panic, jolting back for her weapon, but before she reached it, she heard the laugh. The cackle of a man deranged, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Looking up to the cove entrance, she saw him. And this time, they couldn't escape.

"MY NIGHTFURY AND MY PRECIOUS ASTRID! THANK YOU FOR SERVING THEM BOTH ON A PLATE, BROTHER!" Dagur yelled, leaping down to be at their level. And he was the first of many, as men flooded through the entrance, blocking the only way out.

"GET BACK!" Hiccup warned, as Dagur and his men began to encroach towards them, trapping them in their place as the entire cove began to fill up with murderous Vikings.

"Honestly I expected a better challenge from you, Hiccup. You always think you're so much smarter than everyone else. See where it gets you," Dagur laughed, pointing his crossbow at Astrid.

"NOOO!" Hiccup screamed, instantly sprinting towards her, but in an explosion of purple, the weapon was ripped out of Dagur's hand. Toothless followed up the salvo with an additional trio of blasts but using his own men as shields, Dagur evaded them all. Astrid had no time to let the fact that the beast she was born to kill had saved her life sink in, as the loud thump of Viking boots drowned out everything else. With her axe back in her hand and belief in her heart, she jumped right in.

Hiccup found cover behind a rock, as arrows aimed in his direction missed him by a hair. He had his knife, but he didn't want to use it. He shouldn't have to use it. Glancing over the boulder, he could see Toothless knocking men down with plasma blasts, like pins at a bowling alley. Astrid was cutting through her fair sure as well, but the swarm seemed to never end. Soon he feared he'd have to get his hands dirty.

Dagur skipped through the carnage, lapping up the mayhem as he made his move. Toothless was fighting with teeth and claws, battling with all his might, but Dagur's previous attack had left the dragon weakened. So much so, when Dagur charged at him this time, there was little left Toothless could do to counter the assault. Sword raised above his head, and a twisted smile from ear to ear, Dagur plunged down towards the dragon's neck, only to be wrestled away a fraction from impacting.

Hiccup barged Dagur away, landing on top of him by the edge of the water. With a guttural groan, Dagur threw Hiccup off, jabbing him in the stomach as he leant over him. Hands prized around Hiccup's skull, the psychopathic pride in Dagur's eyes as he applied more and more pressure was clear. And it was terrifying. For Dagur, this wasn't a game. It had never been a game.

"You see, brother. I always win. I ALWAYS WIN!" Dagur chanted, only for a black shadow to sweep him off his feet. For a few seconds Dagur flew, a golf ball with Toothless' tail as the club. With a crack of bone, Dagur ploughed into the rock face, slumping down in a jumble of limbs. A few final whimpers of, "I always win," was all that Hiccup could make out, before Dagur drooped into unconsciousness.

Hiccup immediately scanned for Astrid. He needed her to be safe. He needed her. He was about to run to her, when Toothless brushed up alongside him and lowered himself to the ground. _Oh, Ohhhhh,_ Hiccup mumbled, realising the dragon's intentions. "No. I can't. I shouldn't," he told himself, but seeing her outnumbered and in trouble made the final verdict a certainty. "I have no choice."

Crawling onto the dragon's back, he hung to Toothless' neck tightly, and without a warning, the night fury zipped into the sky. He had little time to experience the joy of the flight, and clung onto the dragon with everything he had. He could feel the full force of the dragon's blasts, as pockets of enemies were decimated. He could see man after man falling, but it was never enough to keep her safe. After all the smoke had cleared, all that remained of Dagur's army were three men. Three men with Astrid as their hostage.

Unwilling to fire again, in case she was accidentally hit, Hiccup instructed Toothless to land. The injuries the dragon had sustained severely obstructed manoeuvrability and steadiness, but without the bolts jammed into its wing membrane, Toothless dropped Hiccup off without a hitch. Her own axe pressed to her neck, the coward of a Viking stood behind her, a sick grin on his face. Hiccup could see the terror on her face; but the determination in her eyes gave him the hope he needed.

The other two Vikings, as was their idiotic tradition, charged headlessly into danger. Hiccup didn't flinch back, even as Toothless' shots sent both to an early grave. They are unimportant. Mindless. Meaningless. Bodies without a soul. But as he looked at her, he saw the opposite. She is different. Special. Alive. And that's how she would stay.

"Get away from her," Hiccup stated, cold and firm.

The man, grizzly with a bedraggled beard down to his stomach, shifted on his feet, holding the weapon tighter to her. "Give me the dragon's head, and she can keep hers," he said hoarsely, staring Hiccup down. "A Night Fury head will make me a legend in the village."

Eyeing the man with such disdain that it would have made Dagur jealous, Hiccup advanced forward. He fumbled with his belt for a moment, tucking down his sleeve his last resort. "Fine," Hiccup eventually answered. "But I am unarmed, so you'll have to do it yourself. Just let her go and the dragon is yours."

The man snarled at Hiccup, before shunting Astrid forward to keep her between them as he moved towards the dragon. Hiccup raised his palm up to Toothless, calming him down, as he watched the Viking's every move. Keeping Astrid as his barrier, the man's smile grew wider, seeing the dragon at his mercy, but the second he allowed the axe to slide away from Astrid's chin, he had given up his only leverage.

She took this chance, elbowing him in the stomach the moment he pulled it away, but as she tried to pry herself free, he clutched tightly at her braid, preventing her escape. She tried to drag herself out, but his hold was one of iron and she couldn't get far enough away. With a growl he rose the axe, and for a second she thought it was all over.

The weapon though, it didn't move towards her. It didn't move it all. It remained in place, in the man's hand, for a few moments longer. When she tentatively turned around, she saw the man there, his eyes glazed, and the axe falling from his fingers. His hand reached up towards his neck, towards the dagger, still lodged there. Hiccup's dagger. And as the man fell to his knees, she saw Hiccup himself behind him. Hands were shaking, his fingers painted red. He had done it… for her.

"We need to go," Hiccup said, his voice wavering, as the man at his feet croaked his final breath. "Before Dagur wakes up."

Astrid could only nod. So many things she wanted to say, to get off her chest, but no words would come out. They seemed stuck in her throat, lumps too big to swallow. Everything was so jumbled up, blending opposite emotions into one, like everything she'd ever known had been a lie. Every rule, every lesson she'd been taught was imploding in her mind, like life was rewriting her very beliefs. Her core drives cracking under the weight of the new revelations and through the gaps, the new Astrid could see the light. She would be a slave no longer.

Hiccup clambered onto Toothless' back, rubbing the dragon's chin affectionately for keeping both him and Astrid safe. Toothless was purring like a cat under Hiccup's touch, now so full of life and joy, it was almost a miracle considering how he looked when they found him. Hiccup just hoped lightning could strike twice. Bracing himself for the possibility of rejection, he slowly turned around to face her. This was it. This was the moment that would change everything. With a deep breath, he extended his arm out towards her.

"Trust me, Astrid," he spoke softly. "You said you wanted to create your own path, then do it. All your life, you've been told these are monsters and devils, prove them wrong. Prove only you can choose your destiny."

It was as if everything in her life had been building up to this moment, even though this was the first day of her rebirth. She had refused his help before, pushed him away, but this time all her inhibitions were long gone. This time, there was no delay, no pause, no moment to think about which choice was right. There was only one option. Almost skipping over, she clasped his hand firmly, and in one fell swoop, she was sat behind him. Hands gripping his waist, her head cushioned against the base of his neck, she had never felt so sure of anything as she did right now.

"Don't you dare drop me," she jovially cautioned.

Hiccup chuckled faintly, twisting neck slightly to look over his shoulder. "Never. But if you ever happen to fall, know I will always be here to catch you. Always."

Clutching on tight as Toothless zipped into the sky, she hid the smirk in the crooks of his back, "I'll hold you to that."

Hiccup closed his eyes and relaxed into her hold. The breeze against his face, the adrenaline in his veins, and the girl of his dreams behind him. Even as Toothless broke through the clouds, Hiccup was so lost in the fantasy to even see the world below. The soft feel of her hands against his chest, the velvety feel of her hair on his neck, it was as everything was meant to be.

When the dragon levelled out, Astrid was first to gaze around. A cacophony of colours bursting in all directions consumed them, as if they were flying through a rainbow. Blues, greens, purples; the northern lights were something both could just stare at for hours. Up here it was peaceful, calm, perfect. Even as the icy wind threatened to chill her, his warmth protected her bare arms from the cold. She could barely control her emotions, the deep sense of bliss erupting within her core, and she hugged him tighter as Toothless soared gracefully through the night sky.

Where they were heading was a mystery, but as far away from Dagur as possible was the unanimous vote. With only the stars to guide them and no set course, the flight could have lasted for hours, but as a small island appeared on the horizon, the need for a good night's rest brought them back down to Earth. They had been through a lot, all of them, and time to recover had to take priority. Toothless' tongue was hanging out blissfully as he zipped silently through the dark, but Hiccup didn't want to push the dragon further than he had to, so with regret, they began their slow descent.

As soon as Toothless' feet touched the sand on the rocky beach, Astrid was off and bouncing. "Wow. That was just… amazing," she blurted out excitedly, laying a hand tenderly on the dragon's head. "He's amazing." Toothless practically melted under her hand, nudging her even more once Hiccup had dismounted. "I never thought… I could never have imagined… It makes no sense," she finally stated, before turning to face Hiccup. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me. For showing me the truth. For giving me this second chance," she answered, stepping towards him. "For freeing me from my cage."

"I… I…" He started, but the slamming of her lips against his knocked the air from his lungs. Like a statue frozen in place, he didn't even respond. Too stunned, too confined by the limits of his mind, he wasn't prepared. He wasn't prepared at all. He needed time. Time to ponder, time to make the right choice. _But what is right? What is real?_ He had a life, outside this place, and with one move he wouldn't be able to return to it. He would be trapped. Would this prison be worse than the one waiting for him back home? His future wife, cold as ice, or Astrid, who is fire made flesh. And the more he thought about it, he realised he couldn't put out the flames.

But before he got the chance to act, she pulled back, holding her head in her hands while she backed away. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Your girl back home. Your betrothed. Your real life. I was stupid. I shouldn't have done that," she stammered. "I'm sorry." He reached out for her, but she was already running. He called after her, but she wasn't listening.

"Toothless, stay here," Hiccup told the dragon, who simply huffed back, curling up on the rocks.

The glinting of the metal on her armour was his salvation as he chased after her, keeping her outline just in sight. Along the beach and into a secluded cave he followed her, entering slowly with the only sound being his calling of her name.

"Astrid. Astrid. Astrid," he whispered into the dark, only to turn the corner and find her slouched down against the wall. This far in, only the barest slivers of light could enter, but her defeated expression was clear to see.

"You have to go back. You have to go back to her," she said miserably, speaking to the ground.

He hurried over to her, easing her up to her feet as he cupped his hands under her chin. "Astrid, I don't want to go back. I don't want her," he stated with the purest conviction. "All my life I've been pushed this way or that, dragged in directions I don't want to go, trying to be something I'm not. I've made it work, I've followed the rules, but you've made me feel more in this last day than I had in my entire life."

"Hiccup, I-"

Her faint breaths caressed his skin as he pressed his forehead to hers. Gone were the boundaries, gone were the doubts, gone were the thoughts that he could possibly repress his desire. "Coming here, seeing the life I could have. A life with you. I can't go back to what was before. With you, I've never felt so alive." His lips grazing hers, he whispered the last few words, " I choose you, Astrid, only you."

As soon as the last syllable escaped his lips, her taste consumed him. Her warmth, the inferno in her soul, it was filling the hole inside of him. Her kiss was breaking the chains of his own reality, just as much as his was breaking hers. Her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, enveloping them in their own little cocoon. Deep, passionate, unrelenting, a duel for dominance neither wanted to give in. The feel of her molten skin against his own, the pulsing blue of her eyes, she had completely enchanted him.

His fingers snaked through her hair, the softness of the strands melting under his touch. He could feel every curve as his body pressed against hers. Lips mashing with the ferocity of a thunder clap, not even the need to breathe dared split them apart. Her fingers traced the line of his jaw, his own gliding down her braid, leaving no space between them. The cave was a smouldering cauldron, but the intensity never slowed. Roaming hands, wandering tongues, there was no stopping it. An insatiable craving too powerful for its hold to be broken.

She was taking him somewhere new, an intimacy so foreign. Each touch electric, each kiss magnetic. A shameless ecstasy surging through his bloodstream with every moment. Hot breaths, soft moans, a bliss more addictive than any drug. Her shoulder plates hit the ground first, chiming with a metallic ring. Her skirt followed, smothering his already discarded belt; everything else joined the pile not long after. And with nothing but the darkness as witness, the night bound them together.


	3. Part 3: The Dream

**NorseWorld**

 **Part 3: The Dream**

This was a morning like no other. On a wet heap of rock in the middle of nowhere, he had never felt anything like it before. So much warmth, inside and out, it made him feel complete, and she was the centre of it all. He wasn't sure where his body ended and hers began, but he knew he needed this. Not just today. Not just for the week. And as impossible as it seemed, he had to find a way to make it permanent. She was too special, too important, to be left alone in this world.

He couldn't help just staring down at her. It was a sight he wanted to remember. Her arms draped across his chest and her head nestled into his neck, every little imperfection only made her even more perfect. When her eyes did slowly began to flutter open, he was the first thing she saw, and her lips curled into a soft smile, dazy yet devilish all the same.

"Morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning," Hiccup whispered back, "Sleep well?"

"I did," she grinned, "For the first time in a long while. You?"

"Never better, milady," he answered, and her blissful smile grew ever wider, only for it to fall flat the very next moment.

"Milady…" she repeated under her breath, as she eased herself away from him. "Hiccup, I know last night was not exactly planned, to say the least. You've already given me so much, I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything." She pulled her eyes away from his, as she silently began pulling her leggings on. "If… If you regret it, I understand."

Before she could say any more, he took her hand in his own, leaning in to make her meet his gaze once more. "Astrid, listen to me. I don't regret a thing. If I had the chance to go back to the day I came, I'd do it all the same again, just so I could be here, with you."

"You mean it?"

"Every word. I won't go back to how it was before. I want you. With me. Always," he replied assuredly, before faintly tipping her chin up to look at him. "If that's what you want?"

Her answer was an unashamed lunge to meet his lips with hers. Short and sweet, yet still long enough to stoke up every desire of the night before. She wanted to succumb to those feelings, but as hard as it was, she had to pull away. She had to keep her mind clear, or as clear as possible with him looking at her like that. There would be time for that. Hopefully lots of time. But now she had to focus on the mission.

For as good as this cave could be, it wasn't enough, and reaching that impossible goal, that distant dream of true freedom, it would take all the strength she had. And nothing, not even the spell of those big green eyes would distract her. Or so she told herself, for the hundredth time, before she finally suppressed her cravings just enough to snap away. "Get dressed," she told him directly, as she pulled on her vest, "we've got a long journey ahead of us, I want to make sure we get there."

With everything packed up and the cave holding nothing but memories, Astrid was first to head out. Her boots sunk into the sand, and as she strolled forward and stared out over the waves, time seemed to stand still. The weight of what this would mean hung heavy on her chest. To leave everything she'd ever known, for a chance at something better, something real. It had be what fate had planned for her. Surely, or she wouldn't have gotten this far already.

Hiccup followed her out, chuckling faintly to himself seeing Toothless still slumped in the exact same place he had been the night before. Here everything was calm, so much safer than Berk, and yet he could see the uneasy tension in her stance as she slowed to a halt and stared out aimlessly.

"Hiccup," she said softly, as he brushed up alongside her, "what is your world like?"

"It's so different than yours," he answered. "My world is a place of great opportunity, where you can do almost anything, be almost anyone, if you work hard enough. We've done great things. Things you could never imagine. We've built great cities and buildings that soar into the clouds. We've conquered the skies, the seas, even the stars. We've created unbelievable technology, made incredible medical advances, and developed a world where virtually nothing is impossible. There's nothing like it."

"It sounds incredible," she mumbled.

"It is," Hiccup vouched, but his face showed no such assurance. For a few seconds that was all he said, before he sighed heavily and took a seat on the sand, inviting her to join him. As they gazed to the horizon, it didn't take long for her to rest her head on his shoulder, watching the sun rise over the waves. Hiccup wrapped his arm around her, smiling faintly to himself for a second, before he continued. "Sometimes, I take it all for granted. You just… you don't realise what you have until… until it's gone, y'know," he stuttered.

"Your father?" Astrid enquired, and the subtle shift of his head up and down of a reply.

"I just… I just wish I made up with him. Even near the end, we did nothing but argue. He wanted me to follow in _his_ footsteps. Do things _his_ way," Hiccup sighed. "But… it isn't me, Astrid. I'm a builder, I build things. He was the leader, he could control people. That isn't me. He never understood that, understood me. All I wanted to do was make him proud. I… I-"

"Hey," she interrupted, "look at everything you've done here. Things no-one would have thought possible, but you've done them. I'm sure he'd be very proud of the man you've become."

At that, Hiccup chuckled lightly under his breath. "He would have liked you. He never accepted Heather, said something was off about her, but you – he would have loved you. I know it."

"I'm sorry I won't ever get to meet him," she replied sadly, pausing before she followed up. "So, what are you going to do when you get out of here? What about Heather?"

"First of all, it's when _we_ get out of here," he answered firmly. "I won't leave you in here, not after everything we've been through. And me and Heather are done. I can't go back, knowing how I feel about you. I need you, Astrid."

"And I need you," she repeated. "I can't do this alone, and I need your help to get out of here. I can't find it alone."

He immediately turned to face her, holding her by her shoulders. "Wait, you know a way out. You know how to get out of here?"

"Yes. Yes and no. Maybe," she replied, rubbing her fingers across her forehead. "It's always been there, in my mind, but I've never thought much of it. Now it all makes sense. We just need to find the nest."

"The nest?"

"It's the answer to everything in this world," she stated with certainty. "Since Vikings first sailed here three hundred years ago, it's what we've been searching for. I don't know why, but I know if we find the nest, we can find a way out. For good. I know it's not much, it's unlikely we'll find it at all, but this is the only way. I need you to tru-"

"I do trust you, Astrid," he pledged. "If you think the nest is how we can get out together, the nest is where we're going. Just show me the way."

They headed to pull Toothless out of dragon dreamland, but before they even had a chance to turn their backs to the sea, a distant silhouette had them both gazing high into the sky. Growing larger and larger as it approached, all that could be seen was the brief flashes of gold and blue as the dragon's scales shimmered in the morning sun. And those flashes, like a raging storm, came more and more frequent, as it headed straight towards them.

With a loud echoing squawk, the dragon announced its presence, flying down and gliding low. It continuously chirped with every flap of its wings towards them, so much so that if Hiccup and Astrid hadn't known it was coming, they definitely would have now. And theirs wasn't the only attention it had attracted. For before it even had time to land, a black blur swept out of the shadows. Teeth bared and a bright purple glow in his throat, Toothless leapt forward protectively, roaring warnings at the intruder.

"Easy, Toothless," Astrid calmed, placing a hand gently on the dragon's snout, before she advanced forward. Hiccup went to stop her, but she turned to him and shook her head. "I've got this. This one's mine."

She marched forward unfazed, even as the dragon landed in front of her only a few metres away. For she knew this dragon, and it knew her. The scar on its chin evidence enough of their past meeting, and she really hoped dragons didn't hold a grudge. It didn't look like it wanted to do harm; its inquisitive beady eyes followed her every move, inspecting her. And she was doing the same, never breaking gaze, as she continued her approach.

She knew what she had to do, to prove to herself who she is, not who she was. Without breaking stride, She unclipped her axe, holding it outstretched in her hand as she steeled herself. Out came the dragon's barbed tail, as expected, prepared to defend itself, but this was not going to be a repeat. Looking straight into the eyes of the dragon, she let the weapon fall free. In the face of it, she smiled, and without fear, took the few final steps.

Still wary, the dragon held its ground, unmoving, and even as she reached a hand up, there was no reaction. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and turned her head away, trying to keep her hand steady as she began to speak, soft and true. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I have to tell you, I'm sorry for hurting you. I always thought you were our enemies, now I know that was a lie. I'm trying to be better, I'm trying to make things right. This world has forced us to be on opposite sides, I want us to be allies. I know, together, we can help each other. Please, give me another chance."

And then she waited. Hot puffs of air blew against her skin, circling on her palm as the dragon tentatively nudged forwards. Then, in one clear moment of calm, she felt it. All she had to do was open her eyes, and even seeing it made it hard to believe. This winged demon, this devil of the skies, it had trusted her. In awe, she rubbed her fingers against its scales, settling over the cut made by her hand. "I'm sorry, girl. I will never hurt you again. I promise."

Pressing her forehead to the dragon's snout, she finally put an end to that past chapter of her life. And when she turned around to see Hiccup just staring at her with such adoration, she knew this was who she wanted to be.

"Now you just have to name her," Hiccup told her, the smile never leaving his face.

Astrid turned back to the dragon with a childish, giddy grin. "Stormfly. Her name is Stormfly."

As she managed to do again and again, Astrid exceeded Hiccup's expectations and was up and flying on her own in no time. There was something about how happy she looked, so at ease and free, it just made him think. _Is this how she'd be outside of this place? Is this the girl I could have a life with?_ And the answer to both was a resounding yes. They fit perfectly, like a hot chocolate on a cold winter's day, and every moment together only deepened what he knew. And it scared him. Not because she wasn't the one, but because she was.

Side by side, the two of them soared away from the island, heading solely on the course Astrid had set. She knew where to go, she could see the destination, but the route was still hidden to her. Like a key, locked in a hidden room, concealed inside a giant maze, the journey would be all but simple. But despite having nothing, a vague direction at best, they set off, belief in their hearts. The mission was clear. Find the nest.

But over time, the mission changed... As much as Hiccup knew that this world was a blank slate, with no repercussions, no consequences, the ideals his father drilled into him were too powerful to let him stand by. Help people, protect those who cannot help themselves, never give anything less than your all. And in this world, there was so much pain, so much suffering. There was no way to ignore it all.

What started as saving one caged dragon, turned into an all-out war with dragon hunters. And all across the archipelago, time and time again the pair would break off to bring some order to the chaos. Finally they could give this world as good as they got, and their reputation followed them across the seas. Astrid's rough route had them ping-ponging from island to island, and for every step forward had them taking two steps back. An endless string of wrong turns and false positives. Never seeming to get any closer, never finding that elusive end.

As the days ticked by, Hiccup was starting to believe they had seen every single island in this godforsaken land. From all an all-black wearing clan of ninjas, to an all-female settlement wearing baby dragons as personal jetpacks, the park became weirder the further from Berk they travelled. And that trend continued with the dragons. Every size, every colour, living in every habitat from the sea to the forests, there were no limits and no end to the discoveries. How he'd love to record and learn about them all, but time was running out.

Still he had faith, still he believed In her. And when the next island came into view, the same thought stuck in his mind. _This will be the one._ But it soon became clear that it wasn't the case. And as they landed on the same sand, on the same beach, infront of the same cave they had left those days ago, he knew they had flown in one giant convoluted circle. One giant loop.

"Astrid," he said sombrely, as he climbed off Toothless' back, "why are we back here?"

"I don't know," she replied, her voice as heavy with defeat as his. "I did everything _it_ said. Went everywhere _it_ told me to go. Why has it led me back here?"

" _It_?"

"The voice inside my head," she answered wistfully. "I just don't understand why it has led me wrong." As she slid off of Stormfly, she couldn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, I've let you down. All that time wasted for nothing."

"Hey, you haven't let me down," he said softly as he walked over to her. "look at all we did, what we accomplished. And I got to spend it with you, so I wouldn't say it was wasted."

"But it's too late," she sighed, "we'll never find the nest in time."

"Don't say that, it's not over yet," he told her firmly.

"But-"

"But nothing," he affirmed. "Look, maybe our first try at finding it didn't work out, but we still have time. I know you, Astrid, and it's not like you to give up or concede defeat."

"We're just going round and round. I failed," she mumbled.

"Come on, don't lose hope," he told her firmly, pulling her close. "Where's the fearless Astrid Hofferson I've fallen in love with?"

If the pause wasn't enough, the fierce blush across her face said enough. "She… She's doing everything she can, but the voice-"

"Screw the voice," he snapped. "Was it the voice that came back for me on the first night we met? Was it the voice that changed everything I believed about this world? Was it the voice that made you bond with Stormfly? No, Astrid. That was you. All you. So don't listen to the voice. That was the voice they gave you, the voice that told you dragons are evil and all the newcomers are just brutes with no motive but to destroy. It's the voice that you should have abandoned long ago"

"So, what are you saying?" She asked, as he cupped her cheeks within his palms.

"Find your own voice. Dig deep, trust yourself. Only you know the answer. Make yourself believe," he whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"I don't know how."

"You will," he told her firmly. "I believe in you, you just need to believe in yourself."

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes. In the cold and dark of her mind, she could still feel him, holding her, a light up to the surface. But she needed to do this. To sink to the depths and fight whatever demons lay in wait. And in the deep black, they came. Slow at first, the memories began to flow, hitting her one at a time, revealing every secret she had ever kept.

A tall man, with long, wavy blonde hair and most pristine beard she had ever seen. His smile, larger than life, and the way he looked at her, the way he called her his princess. And she had called him… _Dad_. Everything she had felt for this forgotten figure, it all came back. That bubble in her chest, that joy, she relived it all over again. And everything made sense, and no sense at all. She knew this man was her father, her true father, but what did that make the man she'd lost at Dagur's hands? A fraud? A replacement? A trick to drive her insane?

The jumble of thoughts and feelings were churning, spinning like a whirlpool and all she wanted to do was get out. To get away from the emotions spiralling out of control. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. _Where's the fearless Astrid Hofferson I've fallen in love with?_ His words stuck deep, and she used them as her centre. The drive to push on. She would not let him down again. Even as memories tried to derail her, she held firm, maintaining the strength not to crack. Like an unstoppable current, they flooded her, snippets of her past lives. Abstract in so many ways, yet there was no doubt what she felt was real. And she felt it all.

Every cut, every bruise, every burning sting as blood oozed from a thousand different wounds. She had to push back the tears as the most horrific experiences replayed again and again throughout the years. And every time, there was the inevitable end. The feeling as the final shreds of life drained from her body, in each and every one of her previous lives. And as the cycle of life and death continued, there was one thing that tied all the memories together. Her pain. Emotional, physical, every kind of pain she could imagine.

Dagur haunted her, even here. Especially here. Despicable acts followed wherever he went, and she had suffered at his times a dozen times over. Every time, she had fought back, and every time, she had lost. A pawn in a game, a naïve girl trying to be a warrior. And as the waves of sorrow drowned her, all she could think was that maybe giving in to the misery wouldn't be a bad thing. And as much as she tried to fight back the onslaught, she couldn't stop herself from sobbing, the torment choking the very breaths out of her.

But as the darkness closed in, that light, that burning torch in her core just wouldn't allow it. She forced the memories of the past days to centre stage, and one shone so brightly above the rest. Seeing it again confirmed what she already knew; that it was the moment everything changed. That first bonding of man and dragon, the moment that everything she knew vanished in the blink of an eye. The exact moment her real voice was born.

And with that memory held tightly to her chest, she began to swim to the surface. Racing towards the light and leaving the darkness in the past, she pushed forward. No going back. And as she broke the invisible barrier, crossed the line back into the world, one image flashed by. Only for a fraction of a second, but she saw it as clear as day. The one thing she desired the most. The path to her future. A shining star flying through a thick bank of fog, curving through the maze of sea stacks, and guiding her right where she needed to go. The nest, she had found it.

But as she returned to the present, everything felt so heavy. Even her eyelids didn't want to stay open. Her knees buckled, and her head began to sag, and only Hiccup's arms stopped her from hitting the ground. He was calling her, yelling her name, but it seemed so far away. She tried to reach out for him, but she couldn't even raise a finger. The burden of a thousand lifetimes had taken its toll, and she couldn't even mouth to him the three words she so wanted to, before exhaustion overcame her.

Holding her limp body tightly, he muttered soft, unheard reassurances as he carried her away from the chilling breeze of the ocean. Ghostly faint in complexion, her skin was freezing to the touch. He rubbed his fingers up and down her arm, as he pulled her close to his chest. He was trying all he could, but he couldn't reach her. He had no idea what was going and no idea how to make it better. All he knew was that something was very, deeply wrong.

Stormfly wasn't helping things, following as closely as possibly, cawing loud, distressed howls, as if feeling her rider's pain. And as they entered the cave, that echo only made the sound more harrowing. The dragon wouldn't even leave when Hiccup told it to, and only with Toothless' intervention was the cave left in some sort of peace. Carefully, he laid her down to rest, but the deathly silence that followed was far worse. So, he started to hum, quiet and gentle as he rocked her, praying he would see the blue of her eyes again.

With a fire constantly burning, and day turning into night and back to day again, slowly her colour began to return. Soon, he would have her back. Soon, everything would be okay. But just as Hiccup was starting to relax in that knowledge, Toothless' sudden burst into the cave instantly threw it all into jeopardy. The dragon was in battle stance, teeth showing, shaking his head viciously towards the exit. "I'll be back soon, I promise," Hiccup said softly, Placing a tender kiss on Astrid's forehead before he followed Toothless out.

As soon as he could see light, he could see what had caused that ominous feeling in his gut. There were ships. Dozens of them. All in a line, all targeting the island. And before he even had time to make any sort of decision, the first boulder bombardment began. Catapult fire rained down like a meteor shower, each hit landing like the heavy beat of a drum. Retreating back inside the cave, Hiccup only had the few seconds, while they were reloading, to come with any sort of plan. Any plan at all that would keep Astrid safe.

"Stormfly, stay here. Protect her. Don't let anyone inside this cave," he told the dragon firmly, and whatever happened, he knew she would not fail. Now he just had to make sure he did his part. "Come on, Toothless, let's give them something to aim at," he instructed as he climbed on, soaring up into the sky in an instant.

From the dark canopy of the clouds, they dove, the night fury's piercing whistle marking its descent. Through a hailstorm of arrows, came the thunderous rumble, and the purple flash that followed. The first explosion sent the closest ship to its watery grave, and like a Gatling gun the blasts kept coming. The screams, they followed, rising like the towers of smoke, before one by one, the ocean claimed them. Dragging them down to the depths, leaving nothing but the smell of charred wood to remember them.

The speed, the agility, the precision, Toothless was made for this. His plasma blasts of decimating power, making each boat nothing more than a splintered coffin after each passing run. The offspring of lightning and death proved true to his name, besieging the attacking force with unparalleled force. What started out as a fleet to be feared, an almighty armada, was quickly left battered and broken. Efforts to bring down the night fury were becoming increasingly futile, the count of ships still standing plummeting into single digits.

Even the most rock-headed Viking could see it was a losing battle. It was like the very wrath of the Gods themselves was being inflicted upon them, and with the black spectre once more disappearing into the clouds, the few ships still functional turned tail and ran. Even still, their speed was no match for the night fury, and once more they plunged from the heavens. Intent on finishing the job, Toothless aimed to pursue, only for Hiccup to veer them back to land. "Astrid, bud. We need to get Astrid."

Before she could see, it was the smell that came back to her first. The smell of fire and burning meat, it was suffocating. She tried to sit up, but it felt like her body was tied to the ground. She struggled, thrashing in every direction, but her muscles barely moved an inch. All she could do was lay helpless, trying to piece together what was happening, and then the screams started. Between the high-pitched wails, and the constant shouting, there was something she recognised. "S-S-Stormfly?"

But Astrid got no answer, and the next sound she heard was like a sword through the heart. Immediately her eyes shot open, but it was already too late. That piercing screech rung in her ears, and all she could do was let the tear trickle down her cheek as she heard those final few whimpers, before it all fell silent. She stared blankly at the ceiling, hoping that maybe she was wrong, maybe Stormfly was okay, but then came the laugh. The laugh that followed her like a curse, pursing her from one life to the next. And with that laugh, hope itself died.

All that was left was vengeance. Anger coursed through her veins, and fuelled by the fury, she clambered to her feet. Her legs held, just, and she stumbled over to her axe. Everything still hazy, she clutched the handle with a fist of iron, just as his shadow encased her in pure darkness.

"Ahh, there you are," Dagur laughed, "it took me a while to find you."

"I'm gonna kill you," Astrid snapped back, whipping around to face him.

"I've got to give it to you, I did not expect this," Dagur continued, freely ignoring her as he strolled into the heart of the cave. "You've put up a good fight, probably the best you've ever done. I'm impressed. It's a shame I have to do this."

"It's you that's going to die today," she snarled, charging forward, and with all the might she could, she raised her axe high and swung…

Dagur scoffed at the cold, hatred in her eyes; he'd got used to that look, but beneath the rage, he saw something deeper. Something he'd never seen before. As her blade flew towards him, catching the brief glimmers light as it cut through the air, instinct took over. His head jerked back to avoid the blow, but he was too slow. Metal clipped skin, slicing a jagged line above one eye all the way down to his nose, painting his face a claret red.

"Y-You can't. Y-You can't hurt me. Y-You can't. It - it doesn't work like that. This is my world," Dagur snivelled, pawing at his face with one hand, as he shakenly pulled out his sword.

"NO," She screamed, as she swung again, "THIS IS MY WORLD!" Her axe swung true for a killing blow, but he raised his weapon just in time to block. "THIS IS FOR MY FATHER!" The force of her attack knocked him to the floor, and he scuttled back on his rear as she prowled after him. "THIS IS FOR MY DRAGON!" The two-handed swing ripped the sword from his hand, leaving him open, with no choice but to stare up at her as she positioned herself above him. "AND THIS… THIS IS FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO ME!"

But as her axe began its descent, instead of his final breaths, it was her strained gasps that followed. His dagger lodged deep, plowing through skin and everything beneath it, until nothing but the handle could be seen. It tore the air from her lungs, numbing every sense, until even the strength to keep hold of her weapon eluded her. Her axe clattered to the floor, and with weak, trembling hands, she reached down to her abdomen, where there was nothing but searing pain.

With a couple of fingers wrapped around the handle, she tried to pry it free, but all it achieved was a shockwave of agony that brought her to her knees. "You kill me, and he will make you suffer," she spat, as Dagur loomed above her.

"Oh, you're not dying yet," he replied with a dark chuckle. "You still have one last job to do."

As soon as Hiccup landed on the beach, he knew something was wrong. A trail of bodies led towards the cave, each one more mangled than the last. Scorch marks were seared into the rocks, and hundreds of Stormfly's spines littered the sand. And just as he got a view of the entrance itself, there he saw her. Her beautiful sapphire scales unrecognizable beneath the blanket of blood. Loyal to the end, she'd killed them all, and she'd given her life to do it. Now he just had make sure her death wasn't in vain.

As he rushed forward, the sound of Dagur's booming voice instantly sent shivers down his spine. "AND SO WE MEET AGAIN, BROTHER!" Dagur jeered, emerging from the darkness, but it was Astrid that Hiccup saw first. Just seeing her in that man's grasp again made his blood boil, bubbling a mix of rage and panic. She could barely walk, couldn't even hold her head up, but she was being shoved forward nonetheless. Hiccup maintained his ground, trying to breathe normally, despite everything telling him he should run in and save her. If he did that, Dagur would kill her on the spot. He knew that. He knew that far too well.

Heavy sobs wracked Astrid's body, as Dagur shunted her past her dragon. For so long she'd hated these creatures, fought them. She'd hurt them, killed them, done all manner of horrors in previous lives, and yet, Stormfly had still fought for her. Protected her. Battled long enough to give her a chance. And knowing it was all for nothing, that she'd lost anyway, Astrid couldn't even bare looking at what was left, what that monster had done to her beautiful girl. She forced herself to look away, anywhere and everywhere but there, until her eyes landed on Hiccup.

There was no emotion on his face, but his eyes told it all. He was afraid. Just like the first time she had seen it, the day they met, he couldn't hide his fear. He was keeping Toothless back, not risking anything that might make the situation worse, but she already knew there was not going to be a happy ending. She tried to smile, just a small assurance to tell him things would be okay, but everything hurt too much to even do that. The dagger was still inside her, pulling and tearing her apart from the inside, and the sword at her throat cut deeper with every step.

"Don't do this, Dagur," Hiccup warned, "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt her."

"Ooh, straight to business. Well, you always were no fun," Dagur pouted. "After everything I've been through to track you down, I don't get a 'well played Dagur'. Not even a 'you outsmarted me Dagur'. At the very least I expected a 'how did you find us Dagur?'. Come on, Hiccup, ask me. Ask me. Ask me how I found you."

"Just let her go," Hiccup scowled, "this is between me and you. This has nothing-"

"-I said, ASK ME!" Dagur roared, jerking Astrid forward.

"Okay, okay Dagur," Hiccup backtracked, holding his hands up in surrender. "Tell me, how did you find us?"

"You're gonna love the story," Dagur cackled. "After our last meeting, I took some time to think where I went wrong, and you know what? It was obvious. I failed because I didn't have enough men. So I sailed from island to island, killing chiefs, taking control, the usual things, all to build myself an army. Then all I had to do was find you. And as I searched, I kept hearing all these stories, these drunken tales in bars about this Dragon master, riding into battle on a night fury. I thought there's no way this can be little Hiccup, no way at all, but here you are."

"Yeah, you got me-"

"I'M NOT FINISHED YET!" Dagur snapped, before composing himself. "Anyway, I knew you'd have to come back to Berk sooner or later so I sat in wait. A snake in the leaves. A tiger in the jungle. A shark in the reefs. I waited, and when you came too close, I pounced."

"Wow, that's pretty crafty, Dagur," Hiccup said flatly.

"CRAFTY! CRAFTY! Huh, crafty, actually I like that. Thank you, Brother. Well, it didn't all go to plan, but at least my men distracted you long enough for me to find your secret treasure," Dagur laughed, forcing Astrid forward. "I found the dragon master's queen."

"She's done nothing to you, it's me you want," Hiccup said, as calmly as he could.

"Actually, she has," Dagur corrected, motioning to the gash splitting his face in two. "But you don't need to worry, I don't hold it against her. If anything, it just makes the experience all the better, makes you actually feel something. Makes it real, isn't that right, beautiful," he taunted, running a finger across her jaw

"Screw you," she spat, trying her best to pull away, but he was enjoying this too much to stop.

"DAGUR, WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Hiccup called out sharply, stopping Dagur in his tracks. "Just leave her alone, and we can settle this. Me and you."

"Awww, you really do care about her," Dagur patronised, his head swivelling between the two. "It would be a shame if I-"

"NO! Dagur, please, I'm begging you. Don't hurt her," Hiccup pleaded.

"You want to know something, Hiccup?" Dagur asked, his tone almost tender. "I actually admire you for what you've done here. The person I came here with was a feeble joke, but looking at you now, I see someone I'm actually proud to call my brother. Someone worthy of Heather. And because of that, I want to help you."

"Help me? How can you help me?" Hiccup questioned.

"I can set things straight. I know it's hard to adjust, it was for me the first time I came here. You're not the first poor fool to fall for one of these things," Dagur answered, gesturing to Astrid.

"You don't understand, she's not like the others. She's-" Hiccup exclaimed, his words coming out without filter.

"-She's what? Special?" Dagur mocked.

"She is. She's alive, and she's so close to-"

"-CLOSE TO WHAT?" Dagur barked. "Close to ripping you away from my sister, WHO YOU SEEM TO HAVE COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN ABOUT! I thought you cared about her.

"I don't love Heather. I'm sorry, but I don't," Hiccup told him bluntly. "There's only one woman I've every loved, so Dagur, please, just let her go."

"You see, this world, it changes what you know," Dagur replied, his voice dark and deep. "The lines blur so quickly you start to forget what is real. You forget what is waiting for you when you leave, what the truth really is. There's only one way to cure you of this. You need to see. You need to see what is real. And Astrid is an old model, so this will be easy."

Hiccup tried to argue, but his words fell on death ears. With a loud crunch of snapping fibres, Dagur wrenched open the lower half of her shirt, leaving a gaping hole with the fresh wound at the centre. Tears streamed down her face as Dagur twiddled with the dagger, broadening the incision, playing with her just for fun. Her pain increasing every second, she tried all she could to make no sound, but when in one swift pull, the blade was ripped out of her, there was no silencing the tortured scream that followed.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Hiccup screamed, as she violently gasped for breath, her body convulsing in shock. But in the face of Hiccup turning puce with rage, all Dagur did was laugh.

"No you won't," Dagur brushed off, before reaching around her. He met Hiccup's eyes one last time, before, without warning, he plunged his fingers inside the wound. Hiccup sprinted forward, screeching at him to stop, but that just made Dagur take a firmer hold of the sword pinned to her neck. So even as Dagur began to pry her open, Hiccup had no choice but to watch, and feel his heart crack into a thousand pieces.

It felt like she was being torn in half, like something had burrowed inside her and was tearing its way out. She tried to focus on something, but everything was spinning, flying in circles and there was nothing to ground her. She tried searching for Hiccup, but even he didn't bring solace. There was no life in his eyes, just plain terror, but she couldn't stop looking. If this was how she went, she wanted him to be the last thing she saw.

Dagur glared at Hiccup, as he withdrew his hand and pushed Astrid closer. "Now you see the lie for what it is. Just take a look," he ordered. Hiccup, though, didn't take his eyes from hers. At the very least, she deserved that. "I SAID, TAKE A LOOK!" Dagur shrieked, almost shoving her in his face. Hiccup shook his head, but she gave him one almost unnoticeable nod, just before she lost the ability to hold her head up completely.

Slowly, Hiccup crouched to his knees, and then he could see it all. Everything that makes her who she is. Past the skin, the superficial layer, nothing was hidden. The cogs, the metal rods, the pistons firing up and down, Dagur had stripped her to her core. But as Hiccup stared into the gaping abyss, none of it mattered. Nothing he felt changed. Just because she wasn't human, just because she had a skeleton of metal instead of bone, it wouldn't make him love her any less.

"That's enough, Dagur, now I know," Hiccup mumbled tonelessly.

"You can have her, or what's left of her, if you want," Dagur scoffed, as he crudely dropped her to the floor. "But first, there's just one more thing you have to do. All I need in return for her, is that dragon of yours. Give me the night fury's head and I'll let you keep her until we leave tomorrow. Sound fair?"

"Fine. Take him," Hiccup replied, as he knelt in front of Astrid, taking her hand in his. "I've got you," he whispered, as he caressed her cheek. And with Dagur staring only at his future prize, he didn't even notice as Hiccup slipped one of Stormfly's loose spines from the beach into her palm. Nodding silently to her, Hiccup stood up and headed over towards Toothless, before leading the dragon back to where Dagur was waiting. "Will you trust me, bud? One last time," Hiccup asked, rubbing the dragon's chin, "This is where it ends."

With a gleeful smile, Dagur brandished his sword, and in a few strides he was primed to strike. "I've been waiting for this day a long, long, time," he preached, "the final trophy in my collection."

But just as he raised his weapon to swing, Astrid clambered to her feet behind him. Shaking, wobbling with every foot forward, she stumbled her way towards him. Silently, step by agonizing step, she zeroed in. One final act, she could do this. She would do this, just so Hiccup wouldn't have to. Scraping together every last drop of strength she had, she took those closing strides and with her last reserves, she plunged the spine deep into Dagur's back. So deep he would feel it a thousand lifetimes from now.

Dagur's eyes slammed shut, the impact dropping him down to his knees. Every muscle seized, every tendon tore, locking him in place. Held motionless in a prison of pain, all he could do was watch as his sword slid feebly from his frozen fingers. His bowed head followed its descent, a fall that seemed to take a lifetime, knowing that once it hit the sand, his game was at its end. He hadn't got the night fury, but that would have been a bonus. Everything else had gone perfectly to plan.

The blade fell far quicker for Hiccup, and as soon as landed, he cut forward, snatching it away. He gripped the handle so tightly that it couldn't possibly be prized from his grasp, as if letting it go would descend everything back into the chaos. He had the sword. He had Astrid. He had Toothless by his side. It was over. Dagur couldn't hurt him anymore. "This. Ends. Here," Hiccup demanded, pointing the tip of weapon to Dagur's throat.

Dagur simply laughed, and as he slowly raised his head to stare Hiccup down, his lips curled into a poisonous smile. "For one of us, it does," he laughed.

Hiccup took a step closer, glaring fiercely into Dagur's very soul. "You're done. This madness is over. You've lost."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Dagur chuckled through grated teeth, and as the pain became too much to bear, he managed to spit out three final words before he collapsed forward, "I. Always. Win."

So focused on Dagur hitting the sand, the soft whimpering of his name was so quiet that for the briefest of moments, Hiccup believed he imagined it. Then he saw her. Clutching her midriff with both hands, she was ghostly pale, barely able to keep half an eye open. "Hiccup," she mumbled again, as she rocked backwards and just couldn't fight it any longer.

He dropped the sword without a second thought, sprinting over to her as fast as he could. And as she fell, time itself seemed to stand still. She was hovering in the air, floating, waiting. And just as she was about to hit the ground, he dove to his knees, scooping her into his arms. There he cradled her tight to his chest, wrapping his arms around her frail figure as she sunk deeper and deeper into his hold.

"I knew you'd catch me," she murmured. "You said you would."

"Not like this," he replied achingly, "not like this."

"Always," she recalled, braving a smile, "Until the end."

"No. I can fix you, just tell me what to do," he challenged.

"Just hold me, please," she pleaded, "just hold me."

"No, I won't let you die," he vowed. "Just tell me what to do. Anything. Please."

"You can't do anything. You can't fix this," she answered. "it's too late. I've done this enough times to know."

"No. No. No, no, no. There must be a way," he begged. "Think, Hiccup, think, come on."

"Hiccup," she mumbled, "Please, just stop. Stop. Please, just hold me."

With tears running down his face, slowly he began to rock side to side. "I'm sorry," he told her, his trembling fingers running through her hair, "I'm so sorry for everything."

Even with everything going dark, she reached for his hand, clasping it as tightly as she could as she pressed it to her heart. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing at all. You've given me more than I could ever have imagined, shown me just a glimpse at what could have been. You have no idea what that alone means to me. Of every life I've lived, this… this is the only one I want to remember. The only one."

"I can't lose you," he sobbed, as the rhythmic beat under his palm began its painful decline, "what future can I have without you?"

"A happy one, I hope," she said, each breath more and more strenuous. "You're the best man I've known. You'll find a woman who'll love you. You'll have kids, live a long, joyful life."

"I wanted that with you, milady" he confessed, every word breaking as he spoke them. "To go back to my world, and make a fresh start, just you and me. I thought we'd find a way. Together."

"You can still do it, for the both of us. Find the nest, complete the mission. It's Helheim's gate, Hiccup, that's the way to the nest," she told him, "go and find it. I know you can."

"Not without you, It's worthless without you." he said, through choking breaths, "it means nothing if you're not there with me."

"Hiccup."

"We'll make it there someday. I know it. We'll do it. I promise," he babbled, as every second he could feel her slipping away. "We'll beat this world, and we'll come it through it, together. I know it."

"Hiccup."

"I love you, Astrid, so much, please don't go," he cried, lullingly swaying her in his arms. "Please don't go. Please don't go. Please don't go."

"Hiccup," she croaked, as her heart beat for the final time, "I love you too."


	4. Part 4: The Promise

**NorseWorld**

 **A/N: This chapter took far longer than I expected it to, and that, as well as uni work, has made this finale come out far later than I would have liked. As well as this, I have gone back and made minor edits to previous chapters to neaten the story up as a whole. I hope you all enjoy the final outcome, and I would love to hear your thoughts :)**

* * *

 **Part 4: The Promise**

Broken, crippled from the inside out, he sat there, holding his very heart in his hands. He called and called her name, but there was nothing. Just the cold silence of the darkness dragging her away. A dead weight in his arms, he shook her, hoping to feel her heart beat again, but there was no re-igniting the spark that had been snuffed out. His guiding light, his beacon of hope in this world, she was gone.

Her skin rippled from the gentle patter of his tears, as for the final time, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. He wanted to feel her one more time, but it just left him… empty. Gone was the heat he had grown addicted to, and all that was left was a vacuous cold. Nothing but a broken shell, the macabre reminder of the soul he had lost forever. Even the sirenic blue of her eyes had faded to the dull grey of a fire no longer burning.

The lump wedged in his throat made each short, sharp gasp for air sting, as the vice tightened around his neck. Through choked breaths, every second was agonizing, but it still couldn't stop him as he strained his neck up the sky and screamed a raw shriek of pure pain into the heavens. So loud, that even the Gods themselves could hear it.

He still couldn't truly believe it. This couldn't have happened. Their story had only just began, it couldn't have ended already. There must be another chapter. Another ending. Just… something. Something to make the hurt go away. And even as daylight began to fade and night creeped closer, he refused to let go. It still hadn't settled in, like it was all an illusion, but in his depths, there was a deafening certainty. She was dead, and nothing he could ever do would bring her back.

There was no light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing could make this right, and the guilt clung to him like an inescapable shadow. A torturous cycle of blame, going through all the different scenarios of what he should have said, should have done, how he should have saved her. Anything that would have let him keep him promise. All he wanted was to keep her safe, and he had failed. Failed… her. She was dead, and he had done… nothing.

The self-destructive trance consumed him, taking over, as he lay there clutching the remnants of his crumbled future. She could have healed him, pieced together what had been broken, but now those pieces were as lost to him as she was. She'd got him living, truly living, and now he couldn't live without her. He'd given it all, and now… now he was beyond repair.

Frozen in place, he couldn't stop looking down at her, captive to the truth that their journey had reached its end. It took Toothless shattering the silence with an ear-splitting roar to finally make him look up. Through the watery film in his eyes, he could just make out the dragon's blurred outline in the distance, but after just a moment he immediately cast his eyes back down. Just in case. In case by some miracle, the world could give him one last chance.

But of course, there was no change. No turning back time. No do-overs. And when, with a heavy thump, Toothless dumped the slumped shape of Dagur infront of him, Hiccup understood what he had to do. He had to make a choice, one that would go against everything he'd ever stood for. Every urge ordered one concrete end. He must get true justice for her. Dagur had took her from him. Had killed her for nothing. _NOTHING._ Now Dagur had to pay.

His joints aching, Hiccup climbed to his feet and as carefully as he could on unsteady legs, he carried her back to the cave. A place so special, so full of memories, and far enough away that he wouldn't have to see her as he shamed the very legacy he had tried to build. Next to Stormfly, where she belonged, he laid her down.

"I will be back for you," he vowed, "so I can send you on your final journey, and so I… so I can say goodbye. You sleep well, milady. Please forgive me."

With one last look at her laying once more under the protective wing of her dragon, Hiccup turned and strode back to the beach, back to Dagur, back to where his vengeance could be claimed. He didn't want to wait, or even think about what it would mean. He just wanted Dagur gone. He needed to know he would never see that face again. Never hear that laugh. Never have that constant reminder of what had happened here.

Pacing over, he found Dagur motionless and at his mercy. Stood over the man that had caused so much pain, so much unnecessary hurt, there was nothing to stop him. Ridding this world of a true monster with one single strike. It would be so easy. Effortless, almost. The sword was calling out to him, singing all the songs he wanted to hear. Tainted melodies, craving blood, demanding swift retribution.

Yet as he reached down, it wasn't the sword that he found himself leaning towards. The spine Astrid had struck with was still lodged in Dagur's back, and in one jagged tug, Hiccup released it from where it had been buried. Without even thinking, his arm was raised, the blood-tipped weapon primed in his hand. Eyes closed, he took a deep breath. He would finish what she had started. It would be over in the blink of an eye.

His hand though, it wouldn't steady, and his boots chained him to the sand. Beads of sweat poured from his brow, never ceasing, and his eyes just wouldn't open. His mind, the final boundary, locked him there, forcing him to actually see. To see the father that had taught him everything he knew. To see the gummy smile of one of the best friends he had ever had. To see a pair of bright blue eyes telling him no.

But then they were gone once again, as the sharp, gravelly grunt of Dagur snapped him back to reality. His eyes opened just in time to see man beneath him arduously flop over onto his back and stare blankly back at him. With more blood than skin visible on Dagur's face, and the barest slit of one eye open, he looked more animal than man. And in that half an eye, Hiccup saw no fear, no remorse, just an unnerving calm.

"Go on, do it! Kill me!" Dagur challenged, staring up at the razor sharp tip of the spine that loomed above him. Hiccup didn't strike, didn't flinch, didn't move a muscle. Only the briefest flash of his eyes to the weapon in his hand shown he'd even heard at all. Still, Dagur continued, undeterred, "You've fooled them all, but not me. I can see through your act. I can see the anger, the pain, the hate in your eyes," he scoffed. "Come on, you coward. KILL ME! I KNOW YOU WANT TO!"

Hiccup masked everything behind a blank slate and clenched teeth. "That's not me," he said sharply.

"This is always how it had to end," Dagur replied flatly. "It's the only way."

"No. I won't end things like this," Hiccup refused.

Dagur turned his head away, responding with a low, ringing laughter as he stared out across the beach. The empty beach. Nothing but sand and the sound of the waves. "Where is she?" He cut back, straining his head up to meet Hiccup. The small flinch was enough to know, and Hiccup's eyes couldn't hide it any longer. "Tell me, where is she, Hiccup?"

"Shut up," Hiccup snapped.

"Come on, you can tell me," Dagur mocked, "where is she?"

"SHUT UP!" Hiccup ordered, shaking the spine sharply downwards.

"Just tell me the truth, brother, where is our beloved Astrid?"

"ENOUGH!" Hiccup roared, slamming his boot down as he pressed the tip of the spine to Dagur's neck. "Don't talk about her. You don't deserve to say her name."

"Ooh, there it is, there's the true Hiccup," Dagur rejoiced, a smile snaking across his lips. "We're the same, you and I. I know you better than you know yourself. Tell me, did she say she loved you? Say that you'd find a way out together? That it would all mean something. Well, it doesn't. This world is a lie. It means nothing. She means nothing. And if I still have to prove that to you, so be it. I will make your precious Astrid pay. I will make her suffer. I will kill her again and again and again, until you learn. There's only one way to stop it. Kill me. Kill me. KILL ME! "

"NEVER!" Hiccup growled, as he clutched the spine with two hands and plunged it down…

The impact was cloaked perfect by the anguished scream that followed. The scream of a man that had been so close to becoming the monster he was fighting against. The man hanging to the last shreds of his resolve. The man who needed to be the person that Astrid had believed in. She wouldn't have wanted this, wouldn't have wanted the hate to corrupt him. And as Hiccup stared at the spine, lodged deep in the sand, he finally let himself breathe. No matter what this place tried to make him, no matter how much Dagur deserved it, he would not cross that line.

He backed a few steps away, holding his arms tight to his chest as it finally registered how near to the edge he had come. How only a few inches to the side would have changed him forever. Dagur was completely silent, frozen in place; Hiccup knew it wasn't over yet. He still wanted to Dagur to suffer, to feel the same loss and emptiness that he was feeling. To be left in pieces and never be able to put it back together. To be alone and have no-one there to turn to. He wanted Dagur to be trapped in that same hole, with no way out, no chance at escaping.

He wanted to make Dagur break, leaving eave the vultures to pick up the pieces, and there was only one way he could do that. When he left this world, Dagur would not be leaving with him; this world would be his prison. Hiccup knew it wouldn't make him feel better, that nothing could truly make up for what had been done, but it was something he needed to do. Composing himself best he could, he headed back, only to be met with a look he thought Dagur was incapable of. Beneath the blood, beneath the perfected scowl, for the first time, there was fear in his eyes.

"Brother?" Dagur called out, his words lacking of even the slightest shred of confidence. "Hiccup, please, I-"

"-I am not your brother. I never will be," Hiccup cut in, but there wasn't even anger behind the words. They rolled off his tongue completely hollow, sad and slow and empty.

"Hiccup, come on. I… I just wanted to have a laugh. Just let loose," Dagur reasoned, "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Really?" Hiccup replied tonelessly.

"I just wanted to give you a taste of this place, show you what it had to offer," Dagur argued, forcing a smile as he attempted to stretch his hand up.

"Why couldn't you have just left me alone?" Hiccup asked, crouching down beside him, the first cracks of emotion breaking through. "I never asked for any of this. I never wanted any of this."

"I had to give you a chance to be free. I had to help you."

"Help me?" Hiccup scoffed dolefully. "You've just made everything worse. It's what you do. You go into people's lives and ruin them. It's why you come to a place like this. Only here can you destroy life and life and not have to pay the penalty. You're a plague. You contaminate everything you touch. Everywhere you go, destruction follows. Now you've done the same to me."

"Come on. It's a game. It's pretend. It's make-believe. How can you still not under-"

"-I UNDERSTAND JUST FINE," Hiccup snapped. "Don't you dare tell me it wasn't real. What I felt… was real. She felt it too. That wasn't pretend. That was true. I needed that. I… I still need that."

"I only did what I had to," Dagur croaked. "You had to learn. You had to be shown the truth."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Hiccup snarled. "YOU TOOK HER FROM ME! She was the only thing I had left, and you took her from me. She was my last chance, my only hope at a future, and you made me watch her die. Do you know how that feels? DO YOU?" A tear ran down his cheek, and he couldn't help it as the dam burst wide open. "You call me your brother. What type of person would do this to someone their brother truly cares about? WHY? Why have you done this to me? What did I ever do to you? What have I done to make you hate me this much?"

Dagur opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, as if the words got lost halfway down. Every time he tried to answer, all that followed was an ominous emptiness. A cold, erring silence so astray from the victory he had envisioned. He had won, and now he was faced with what his success had brought. Hiccup was now just as broken as he was, and yet they were further apart than ever. Seeing the sombre aftermath in the desolation of Hiccup's eyes, the only thing that Dagur could speak were two whispered words, "I'm sorry."

Hiccup gave no response, not even the slightest shift. The words were just that… words. No truth or honesty behind them. Dagur had his chance to prove his true nature, and he had shown it, this was just another trick. Hiccup didn't need to hear any more of Dagur's lies. Not now, not ever. He had heard enough. Dagur was not worth his time. He only had one day left here; he would spend as much of it as he could with her. No-one would take that from him.

Hiccup signalled Toothless, immediately leaping on the dragon's back. Before there was even time for Dagur to realise, he was gripped in Toothless' claws and hauled into the sky, hanging freely by his arms as his legs dangled into nothingness. There was no screaming, not a sound at all, just the high-pitched whistle as the ground began to fade away. Hiccup didn't care where they went, they just flew as far and as fast as they could. Far enough that Dagur would never be able to reach this part of the park ever again.

Hiccup hoped flying would make it easier, but it just left him numb. Even the skies were left vacant of the freedom he had once relished in. Not even this felt right, not without her by his side. All he could think about was getting back, giving her the funeral she deserved. It took everything for him to keep going, to forget just for the minute, but there was only so far that he could push it.

Away from everything, in the middle of nowhere on the far verges of the park, it was the perfect place to make Dagur's permanent new home. Here there was nothing. No people, nowhere to run, just a whole lot of rock and dirt, and an abundance of time Dagur would have to enjoy it. He would be stuck here, with no-one to speak to, no-one to save him.

"Goodbye, Dagur," Hiccup said flatly, motioned for Toothless to release.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait," Dagur pleaded, only to feel his arms be freed from their vice. He fell, hitting the earth hard and bouncing, before settling into the mud. Face stinging, back in agony, and arms barely able to support himself, he clambered to his feet, only to see the night fury already vanishing into the distance.

"Hiccup. Hiccup. HICCUP!" He screamed in vain, sprinting across the sludgy beach and into the oncoming waves until he was waist deep. "You can't leave me here. Brother, please. BROTHER! Don't do this to me."

His pleas continued, unheard, and he collapsed to his knees. With the water swelling up to his chin, he raked up a fistful of debris from the seafloor and hurled it in the direction of the dragon. The stones fell flat, sinking to the depths, as Dagur watched the dragon and its rider become but a memory. "I'm sorry, Hiccup" he confessed to the setting sun, as he let the ocean consume him. "One day, I hope you'll forgive me."

Hiccup didn't look back, didn't need the closure. He hoped that he would never again have to see Dagur's face, and that the memories of this world would disappear with him. He wanted to bury this week deep, so deep that it would never see the light of day again. He would need to shut Norseworld away, to lock it up so tight that it couldn't reach him, even in his darkest nightmares. He would need to move on, go on as if nothing happened, and maybe, in a decade or two, he could find the heart to smile again.

The return journey felt even longer, but over the course, he finally understood. The pain of losing that person you can't live without, that changes you. Makes you cold. Makes you distant. Makes you unwilling to let anyone in. Exactly how his father used to act. Hiccup couldn't stop the bitter laugh that managed to escape, as the heart-breaking reality dawned on him. In losing the woman he loved, it was finally the first thing he and his dad had in common.

That knowledge only compounded the weight on his chest. If he'd have known, he could have tried to share his father's burdens. Fixed the bond between them. But now it was just another missed opportunity. Another failure, all on him. First his father, then Astrid, maybe he didn't even deserve their love in the first place. Maybe he was doomed to be alone forever.

He was nothing but a passenger as they flew, trapped in his mind to the point that he had no control of where they were going. But soon enough, they landed, back where it all went wrong. Now, everything was so completely calm, as if nothing had ever happened. The waves were shallow and gentle, with only a few scattered boards of wood memorialising the ships that had been lost forever. Everything seemed too clean, too orderly, too… perfect.

As soon as his feet hit the sand, he was running. Something felt off, and a bitter smell hung in the air. Still, he was here for one thing, and one thing only. She was the only thing that mattered and he had left her too long already. As he raced closer and closer to the entrance, he knew what would be waiting for him, but it didn't slow him down. Yet as he finally reached the mouth of the cave, what he found left him completely motionless. It was empty…

She was gone. They were gone. A dragon-sized imprint remained in the dirt, but there was no Stormfly. There was no Astrid. Just a gaping hole and an unrelenting stream of questions. _Why are they not here? Where have they gone? Are they alive?_ He didn't know. He needed to know. If there was any way, any way at all, he had to get her back. He had to believe that future they had planned could still come true.

He rushed into the cave, calling her name, but there was only the darkness and the ringing of his echo. She wasn't here, but she had to be somewhere. There wasn't long left to find her. As fast as he had raced into it, Hiccup sprinted out of the cave and back down to the beach. Toothless was ready, and without a second's hesitation, he had hopped on and they were in the air. They flew, straight and low over the island, as fast as they could go. There was no time to waste.

They scoured every forest, every cave, every peak of the island in record time, but there was no sign of her. There was nothing to say she'd been anywhere close at all, but he continued the search. On Toothless, Hiccup ripped across the seas, tearing from island to island on a blitz pursuit, but never finding a single clue. Night turned into morning, and the morning was fading fast, but still he hunted. Desperate to a degree he never knew he could reach, he didn't sleep, didn't eat. She was all that mattered.

Night-time would be the end of his trip, the end of everything. He could come back, try again, but in that time, he could lose her for good. No, he needed to do this now. There was one place he had yet to check, one place he'd never been. He had vowed he would never go there without her, but he had no other choice. She had to be there. She just had to.

It seemed almost surreal when Helheim's gate loomed before them. This was it, the place she'd been dreaming of all along, and she wasn't even here with him to see it. Hiccup brought them to a standstill, and for a good few minutes, he simply sat there, staring blankly into the white nothingness, with only the sound of Toothless' wings filling the air. Being here, with the promised land so close he could touch it, he realised the painful truth - he couldn't go through.

This was a place solely for the hosts. Not for him. He didn't belong here, and It would be a violation. A perversion of everything he had learned about this world. Whatever answers it could give, he didn't have the right to access them. Dagur was wrong, this world wasn't built for people like him. This was always Astrid's world, built for them, and if she had reached the nest alone, she still would have made it. She would be free.

That slight sliver of hope, knowing there was a chance she'd got out, that she'd fulfilled the potential he saw from the start, that was enough. As long as she was free, he hadn't failed her. This was one secret he didn't need to find out. One secret she had to discover herself, and one day, maybe he could find her again. With one last languishing look into the unknown, the faintest of smiles crossed his lips. Now, at least the week had some meaning.

Norseworld would soon be nothing but history, and on the way back to where it all began, he sat upright, allowing himself the luxury of feeling the air whistle through his hair. A little souvenir from the trip of a lifetime, for soon he would never feel it again. And Back on Berk, when they landed in the same cove they had met, Hiccup had to prepare himself for one final goodbye.

Hiccup climbed off of Toothless' back, and as slowly as he could, he walked around to stand infront of the dragon. No length of time would be long enough, but he had to say farewell. He closed his eyes and reached forward, feeling the dragon's snout press into his palm instantly and it only made him hate himself more. He was going to have to sever this bond, to cut the line and the let the kite fly free, and despite good intentions, it just felt wrong. He shouldn't have to do this. This wasn't how it all should have ended.

He still had his eyes pressed closed, too scared to open them. He didn't want to see those happy, trusting eyes, or that ridiculously infectious attempt at a smile. He couldn't follow through with this if that is what he had to see when he did it. He just couldn't. He had brought the opposites of this world together, achieved so much, and know this was all he had left. His hope and future already in the ground, this was the final piece he had to bury. Then he could leave this world and never come back.

When he finally plucked up the courage, it was worse than he could have imagined. With a playful look in his eyes and a tongue flapping freely, Toothless was bouncing on the spot. There was no way Hiccup could get through this, not without breaking just a little more inside.

"Toothless, thank you for everything you've done but you need to go," Hiccup stated slowly, as he began to back away, only to be met with an inquisitive tilt of the head.

"I'm serious. You need to go. This is over," he continued, but Toothless only giddily followed him. There was no easy way, no gentle let down. He had to get his point across, had to force the dragon to leave, had to break everything he'd built.

"Go!" Hiccup ordered, shooing the dragon away. Toothless cowered back a moment, letting out a wounded warble. His eyes were giant and green, just wanting to know what he'd done wrong, but Hiccup had to follow through. It was the only way. And when Toothless slowly began to advance, he had to make sure the dragon would leave for good.

"GET AWAY! GO! GET OUT OF HERE!" Hiccup yelled, placing both hands on the dragon's snout and shoving him off. Toothless scuttled back further, almost coiling into ball, as he crooned a chilling plea. Praying for it to be a mistake, anything, but there was no reprise. Hiccup marched forward and stood tall, pointing first to the dragon and then to the sky above, as he forced out three final words, "I. SAID. GO!"

Toothless let out a high-pitched mew, and looked back one final time, before he soared into the sky and blended into the night. As Hiccup watched the dark silhouette melt into the stars, he collapsed to his knees, hanging his head. Now he had nothing left. Now he was truly alone. The week ended just as he'd begun it, and now there was only one thing left to do – finally he could go home.

It was a long trudge back. Longer than he remembered it to be. The trees sheltered him, blocking out the desolate night sky, but they were no shield from the biting wind. Here, alone, it prayed on him. Nipping at the surface, freezing skin to the touch and painting every breath ice white in the darkness. There was no fighting it, no countering the cold, not that he wanted to anyway. It was part of him now, it always would be.

Even the sight of Berk's plaza eventually coming within reach didn't bring any sort of relief, it just filled him with the same monotone numbness. Drained, he plodded forward, staring vacantly at the destination. Berk was bathed in a golden tint, a promise of warmth, if only it were torchlight. Still, he was almost there. Each second bringing him closer to the end. He just had to make it through the park's final gauntlet.

Entering the town, there was chaos. Dragons. Vikings. Fire. Lots of fire. Hiccup didn't as much as give it a second thought. He strolled through heedlessly, heading straight for the docks. In the midst of all the madness, he was almost blind to it. The harrowing screams rung out like alarm bells, but were nothing but white noise. The boat was there, waiting to take him away, and there was nothing to stop him.

He followed the path down, taking the blows as they came. Everything ached in one way or the other already, and there was no use in fighting if there was nothing to fight for. The flashes of silver, as stray weapons whizz by. The snaps of red, as sparks light the buildings into raging bonfires. None of it mattered. There was no danger. Nothing to be afraid of. For that, he'd still need to have something left to lose.

The scenes flashed by him, completely abstract, a show he was no longer part of. It was barely a background now, a film set he was walking through at leisure. And away from the centre of the turmoil, its noise just a distant rumble, it grew quiet far too quickly. On the old, rickety pier, he stopped. The boat was a few strides away, he only had to walk those final steps, but he couldn't go any further. He wanted to turn around, look at what he was leaving, what he'd left behind, but he couldn't do that either. So he stood, still and lost, and closed his eyes.

Two worlds, and neither one was right. In neither did he truly belong. He was in a paralysing limbo, a dead end. There was no _home_ to go back to. His home was one memory; with the ocean breeze washing over him, and the blazing heat of Berk at his back, it felt almost real. Like he was flying again, high in the clouds, with warm breath on his neck. That was the only home he'd ever known.

He savoured in in, trying to deceive himself into believing he was actually there. He could picture it so perfectly; even Stormfly was there. He could hear her distinctive squawk as clearly as ever, yet it was far more fierce than he remembered. And it was getting louder. Louder and closer. Too close.

He opened his eyes to a torrent of fire, ducking just in time so only the tips of his hair got singed. Spinning round, he was just able to catch the slightest slight of her before she blended into carnage in the town. Those blue and gold markings he would recognise anywhere. It was Stormfly. She was here. On Berk. That must mean…

He shouldn't think, shouldn't dream, but he couldn't stop it as he rushed after her. From street to street, through collapsed homes and over more corpses than he could count, he followed. A trail of spines and a trail of bodies, with every clue he could found, he pursued the dragon. It all led back to where he had met her a week before – the great hall.

Stormfly was primed and waiting, pacing side-to-side at the bottom of the steps. From across the plaza, Hiccup called her name, but there was no response. He advanced slowly, calling and calling, but still nothing. So he began to shout, louder and louder until the dragon finally snapped her head around to face him. Her eyes narrowed to slits, mouth roaring with an orange glow, it was like she hadn't seen him at all.

She didn't look for long, immediately turning back and firing a short, sharp blast at the great hall. The fire cannoned off the wood, shaking the foundations, and for a few seconds everything went silent. Hiccup tried once more to approach, to get in range to calm her, but he didn't get the chance. Stormfly fired again, hitting the giant doors with a weighty thump, and this time, they swung wide open…

From below, the first thing Hiccup saw was the shining glint of an axe. A two-headed axe. Then came the same shining curls of blonde. Wearing the same determination he admired so much about her, she emerged from the darkness. She was here. Astrid was here. And she was as beautiful as the first time he had seen her.

As much as he wanted to, there was no time to stand and marvel, before Stormfly fired again. This time, at Astrid. She quickly evaded, somersault diving under the blast before sprinting straight for the dragon. Both hands clasped around the axe, she held it high above her head as she leapt from the top of the steps. It all happened so quickly, Hiccup had no time to react. And as she landed, striking down, her blade sliced through scale, painting the tip of the blade red.

Stormfly let out a pained squeal, blood rolling down her chin, before fighting back with everything she could. Teeth, talons, projectile spines and all, there was no restraint. A successful slash caught Astrid in the neck, opening that closed wound once more, but still she fought on. A war of attrition, each strike fuelling the next until there would only be one party was left standing, and all Hiccup could do was watch on. He had to know if there was any going back.

The fighting raged on, both sides taking hits. Stormfly continued to press, snapping at Astrid, pushing her back. A swipe of the dragon's tail swept her off her feet, and only with the handle of her axe could she hold back the onslaught. She held her ground, but the overbearing weight was breaking her hold. Her weapon was shaking, cracking into splinters as the dragon gnawed through it. She couldn't hold it much longer.

Fate seemed set, but she was too stubborn to give up. If the dragon wanted her, it would get her. With her boot, she struck a weighty blow, connecting right where her axe had first cut. With a yelp, Stormfly bounced back, taking off into the sky. It gave Astrid just enough time to scramble to her feet and prepare, as soon enough Stormfly was heading straight back for her.

The dragon led with a few spines, and Astrid evaded them all with precision. She wouldn't hide, wouldn't cower. She kept her head high, even as the dragon dove in, mouth aflame. There was only one option left, one way to survive this. She waited, steadying herself until the final moment. And when it finally came close enough, she threw her axe, as straight and fast as she could.

Hiccup only saw the briefest glimpses as it span through the air, the slightest flickers of light as it blended in with the stars. Then there was nothing. Every now and then he would catch its flight, but it disappeared as quickly as a deathly silence. Between the smoke and the ash, nothing was certain. Until he heard the single, strangled screech.

Stormfly dropped like a stone, slamming to the ground. There she lay, motionless, the blade lodged straight between her eyes. Astrid advanced, crouching infront of the dragon, before tearing the weapon free in one jagged tug. And as she span the handle within her fingers, there was more than the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

Her axe back in hand, she turned to find her next target, only to find her path blocked. With the bile stinging his throat, Hiccup gingerly began to approach. He stepped forward, staring deep into her eyes. They were cold, angry, without a shred of hope to be found. They were glaring back at him, but they were empty. Hollow. Unreadable. In them, he was nothing.

It was the final crack, breaking down the lie he had been clinging to. This wasn't the Astrid he'd fell in love with. Just a husk, a shadow of the girl he knew. _His_ Astrid had died back on that beach, and this was nothing but a stranger. So close he could touch her, but still so far out of reach. Her true nature was lost, buried in the sand, but he had find his way back to it. She was in there somewhere.

"Astrid," he spoke softly. "Astrid, it's me. It's Hiccup." He came closer, but she stared back with not a single emotion showing. He focused on her, only her, as he closed the distance further. She made no movement, and even within a breath's reach, she remained completely still.

"You know me, Astrid," he continued, taking her hand. "After everything we've been through, I know that you know me. Think about Toothless. Think about Stormfly. All the adventures we went on together. Please remember. Come back to me. I need you, milady."

Her expression remained flat, unmoved, as she ripped her hand away. "I don't know you. I've never seen you before. And the next time you call me milady, you'll lose your tongue."

"Astrid, please. Think for yourself. This isn't you. Not the real you. You don't have to do this."

"This is me. It's who I've always been," she protested, shaking her head forcibly.

She tried to rush past him, but he caught her, spinning her back to face him until her forehead was almost touching his. "You told me that of all the lives you've lived, ours was the only one you wanted to remember. I need you to remember it. Please, please remember."

"I-I don't. I-I can't, I-"

"Just give me a sign," he pleaded, cupping her cheek. "Something to fight for. Something to believe in. Something to let me know that a part of you still wants what we were so close to. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. I love you. I won't stop loving you. Please, just give me a sign that you are still fighting for us as well."

For a few seconds, there was nothing, until slowly she turned her head. One look down to the dragon she had just felled. One look at the blood-soaked axe in her hand. Then she was staring back into the swimming green of his eyes. He could see the faintest flickers, the subtlest shifts, the lines drawing their way across her forehead. Just for a moment, the ice began to thaw, and out escaped a single tear.

"I'm so sorry," she snivelled, the axe falling form her hand. Turning away, she took a few steps, then a few more, until she was almost running.

"Astrid, wait!" He called after her. She took a few staggered strides, before stalling to a halt. Head bowed, she slowly turned back to face him.

"I'm the monster, Hiccup. That's who I am. And even you can't catch me this time."

In an instant, she was gone. Before he could say a word, before he could follow, she had flown, cloaked by the wreckage and the smoke. Hiccup stood alone, in the middle of the plaza, with fires raging all around. There was no time left to search. He had to go. This journey was over.

But as he stepped back on the boat, he did so with a sense of hope, not loss. For just as he carried her with him, she carried a part of him deep inside. He had reached it once, he would do it again. And as the boat left the shores of Norseworld, he held his head high and stood firm. This wasn't the end, but merely the start. He would be back, and he would fulfil his promise. One day he would free her from this place for good.

 **THE END**

* * *

A/N: And there it is, the end of Norseworld season 1. Not exactly a happy ending, but with an optimistic look forward. With the way I've built this world, it is perfect to continue the story in a future installment. I do have a brief outline for a sequel, one building things I set up in this story, and I really want to start writing it. With work and everything, it may be a while, but I will try and start it when I get time. Let me know if you want to see a season 2, and I'll answer any questions you still have.


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